Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Period

Pe′ri-od

,
Noun.
[L.
periodus
, Gr.
περίοδοσ
a going round, a way round, a circumference, a period of time;
περί
round, about +
ὁδόσ
a way: cf. F.
période
.]
1.
A portion of time as limited and determined by some recurring or cyclic phenomenon, as by the completion of a revolution of one of the heavenly bodies; a division of time, as a series of years, months, or days, in which something is completed, and ready to recommence and go on in the same order;
as, the
period
of the sun, or the earth, or a comet; the
period
of an electromagnetic wave is the time interval between maxima
.
2.
Hence:
A stated and recurring interval of time; more generally, an interval of time specified or left indefinite; a certain series of years, months, days, or the like; a time; a cycle; an age; an epoch;
as, the
period
of the Roman republic
.
How by art to make plants more lasting than their ordinary
period
.
Bacon.
3.
(Geol.)
One of the great divisions of geological time;
as, the Tertiary
period
; the Glacial
period
. See the Chart of
Geology
.
4.
The termination or completion of a revolution, cycle, series of events, single event, or act; hence, a limit; a bound; an end; a conclusion.
Bacon.
So spake the archangel Michael; then paused,
As at the world’s great
period
.
Milton.
Evils which shall never end till eternity hath a
period
.
Jer. Taylor.
This is the
period
of my ambition.
Shakespeare
5.
(Rhet.)
A complete sentence, from one full stop to another; esp., a well-proportioned, harmonious sentence.
“Devolved his rounded periods.”
Tennyson.
Periods
are beautiful when they are not too long.
B. Johnson.
☞ The period, according to Heyse, is a compound sentence consisting of a protasis and apodosis; according to Becker, it is the appropriate form for the coordinate propositions related by antithesis or causality.
Gibbs.
6.
(Print.)
The punctuation point [.] that marks the end of a complete sentence, or of an abbreviated word.
7.
(Math.)
One of several similar sets of figures or terms usually marked by points or commas placed at regular intervals, as in numeration, in the extraction of roots, and in circulating decimals.
8.
(Med.)
The time of the exacerbation and remission of a disease, or of the paroxysm and intermission.
9.
(Mus.)
A complete musical sentence.
The period
,
the present or current time, as distinguished from all other times.
Syn. – Time; date; epoch; era; age; duration; limit; bound; end; conclusion; determination.

Pe′ri-od

(pē′rĭ-ŭd)
,
Verb.
T.
To put an end to.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Pe′ri-od

,
Verb.
I.
To come to a period; to conclude.
[Obs.]
“You may period upon this, that,” etc.
Felthman.

Webster 1828 Edition

Period

PE'RIOD

,
Noun.
[L. periodus; Gr. about, and way.]
1.
Properly, a circuit; hence, the time which is taken up by a planet in making its revolution round the sun, or the duration of its course till it returns to the point of its orbit where it began. Thus the period of the earth or its annual revolution is 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 30 seconds.
2.
In chronology, a stated number of years; a revolution or series of years by which time is measured; as the Calippic period; the Dionysian period; the Julian period.
3.
Any series of years or of days in which a revolution is completed, and the same course is to begun.
4.
Any specified portion of time, designated by years, months, days or hours complete; as a period of a thousand years; the period of a year; the period of a day.
5.
End; conclusion. Death puts a period to a state of probation.
6.
An indefinite portion of any continued state, existence or series of events; as the first period of life; the last period of a king's reign; the early periods of history.
7.
State at which any thing terminates; limit.
8.
Length or usual length of duration.
9.
A complete sentence from one full stop to another.
Periods are beautiful when they are not too long.
10. The point that marks the end of a complete sentence; a full stop,thus, (.)
11. In numbers, a distinction made by a point or comma after every sixth place or figure.
12. In medicine, the time of intention and remission of a disease, or of the paroxysm and remission.
Julian period, in chronology, a period of 7980 years; a number produced by multiplying 28, the years of the solar cycle, into 19, the years of the lunar cycle, and their product by 15, the years of the Roman indiction.

PE'RIOD

,
Verb.
T.
To put an end to. [Not used.]

Definition 2024

period

period

English

Alternative forms

  • per. (abbreviation)

Adjective

period ‎(not comparable)

  1. Appropriate for a given historical era.
    • 2004, Mark Singer, Somewhere in America, Houghton Mifflin, page 70:
      As the guests arrived — there were about a hundred, a majority in period attire — I began to feel out of place in my beige summer suit, white shirt, and red necktie. Then I got over it. I certainly didn't suffer from Confederate-uniform envy.
  2. (of a film, or play, or similar) Set in and designed to evoke a particular historical period, especially through the use of elaborate costumes and scenery.

Interjection

period

  1. (chiefly Canada, US) And nothing else; and nothing less; used for emphasis.
    When I say "eat your dinner," it means "eat your dinner," period!

Synonyms

Translations

Noun

period ‎(plural periods)

  1. A length of time. [from 17th c.]
    There was a period of confusion following the announcement.‎
    You'll be on probation for a six-month period.‎
  2. A period of time in history seen as a single coherent entity; an epoch, era. [from 16th c.]
    Food rationing continued in the post-war period.‎
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 7, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      With some of it on the south and more of it on the north of the great main thoroughfare that connects Aldgate and the East India Docks, St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London.
  3. (now chiefly Canada, US) The punctuation mark “.” (indicating the ending of a sentence or marking an abbreviation).
  4. The length of time during which the same characteristics of a periodic phenomenon recur, such as the repetition of a wave or the rotation of a planet. [from 17th c.]
  5. Female menstruation. [from 18th c.]
    When she is on her period, she prefers not to go swimming.‎
  6. A section of an artist's, writer's (etc.) career distinguished by a given quality, preoccupation etc. [from 19th c.]
    This is one of the last paintings Picasso created during his Blue Period.‎
  7. Each of the divisions into which a school day is split, allocated to a given subject or activity. [from 19th c.]
    I have math class in second period.‎
  8. (chiefly Canada, US) Each of the intervals into which various sporting events are divided. [from 19th c.]
    Gretzky scored in the last minute of the second period.‎
  9. (obsolete, medicine) The length of time for a disease to run its course. [15th-19th c.]
  10. An end or conclusion; the final point of a process etc. [from 16th c.]
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, II.3:
      All comes to one period, whether man make an end of himselfe, or whether he endure it […].
    • Milton
      So spake the archangel Michael; then paused, / As at the world's great period.
    • Jeremy Taylor
      evils which shall never end till eternity hath a period
    • Shakespeare
      This is the period of my ambition.
  11. (rhetoric) A complete sentence, especially one expressing a single thought or making a balanced, rhythmic whole. [from 16th c.]
    • Ben Jonson
      Periods are beautiful when they are not too long.
    • 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica:
      that such iron moulds as these shall have autority to knaw out the choicest periods of exquisitest books, and to commit such a treacherous fraud against the orphan remainders of worthiest men after death, the more sorrow will belong to that haples race of men, whose misfortune it is to have understanding.
  12. (obsolete) A specific moment during a given process; a point, a stage. [17th-19th c.]
    • 1720, Alexander Pope, translating Homer, Iliad, Book IV (note 125):
      The Death of Patroclus was the most eminent Period; and consequently the most proper Time for such Games.
  13. (chemistry) A row in the periodic table of the elements. [from 19th c.]
  14. (geology) A subdivision of an era, typically lasting from tens to hundreds of millions of years, see Appendix: Geologic timescale.
  15. (genetics) A Drosophila gene which gene product is involved in regulation of the circadian rhythm.
  16. (music) Two phrases (an antecedent and a consequent phrase).
  17. (mathematics) One of several similar sets of figures or terms usually marked by points or commas placed at regular intervals, as in numeration, in the extraction of roots, and in recurring decimals.

Derived terms

  • pseudoperiod, pseudoperiodic

Synonyms

  • (punctuation mark “.”): point; full stop (UK, Australia); dot (computing, abbreviations); full-point, plain point (obsolete)
  • (menstrual period): see also Wikisaurus:menstruation.
  • See also Wikisaurus:period

Antonyms

  • (length of time of recurrence of a periodic phenomenon): frequency

See also

Punctuation

Translations

External links

Verb

period ‎(third-person singular simple present periods, present participle perioding, simple past and past participle perioded)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To come to a period; to conclude.
    • Owen Felltham
      For you may period upon this, that where there is the most pity for others, there is the greatest misery in the party pitied.
  2. To put an end to.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: fresh · noble · appearance · #713: period · William · remain · covered

Anagrams

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Latin periodus, from Ancient Greek περίοδος ‎(períodos).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /perǐod/
  • Hyphenation: pe‧ri‧od

Noun

perìod m ‎(Cyrillic spelling перѝод)

  1. period (of time)

Declension

References

  • “period” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɛrːjuːd/
  • Rhymes: -uːd

Noun

period c

  1. a period, a limited amount of time

Declension

Inflection of period 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative period perioden perioder perioderna
Genitive periods periodens perioders periodernas

Related terms

Etymology

From Middle English periode, from Middle French periode, from Medieval Latin periodus, from Ancient Greek περίοδος ‎(períodos, “circuit, period of time, path around”), from περί- ‎(perí-, “around”) + ὁδός ‎(hodós, “way”). Displaced native Middle English tide ‎(“interval, period, season”), from Old English tīd ‎(“time, period, season”), Middle English elde ‎(“age, period”), from Old English ieldu ‎(“age, period of time”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɪəɹɪəd/

Similar Results