Legal Definitions - centesima

A centesima is a term used in Roman law to refer to the hundredth part or 1% of something.

• If a property is sold for $100,000, a centesima of the sale price would be $1,000.
• In ancient Rome, a centesima of the value of goods transported on a ship was paid as a tax.

These examples show how a centesima represents a small fraction of a larger amount, whether it be a percentage of a sale price or a tax on goods.