centum language  

An Indo-European LANGUAGE in which the VELAR STOP /k/ of Proto-Indo-European was retained in such words as Latin centum ‘hundred’; opposed to a satem language, where this sound changed to an alveolar fricative /s/ in such words as Avestan satem ‘hundred’. Celtic, Romance, and Germanic languages are among the centum group; Balto-Slavonic and Indo-Iranian languages are among the satem group.