The historical origins of cento and its correlation with adjacent phenomenonа are examined. The code of rules of production of cento as a compilative genre is arranged. The conditions of its success are analysed. The question of the relationship of cento to verse and prosaic forms of speech is scrutinized.
The article considers genre aspects of set phrases of different type such as proverbs, sayings and quotations (aphorisms), going back to the Bible. The author singles out two genre aspects of the phenomena under consideration.