Adjacent Words

Period definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PE'RIOD, n. [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, v.t. To put an end to. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period" [syn: time period, period of time, period]
2: the interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon
3: (ice hockey) one of three divisions into which play is divided in hockey games
4: a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed; "ganoid fishes swarmed during the earlier geological periods" [syn: period, geological period]
5: the end or completion of something; "death put a period to his endeavors"; "a change soon put a period to my tranquility"
6: the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause; "the women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation"; "a woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped"--Hippocrates; "the semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females"-- Aristotle [syn: menstruation, menses, menstruum, catamenia, period, flow]
7: a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations; "in England they call a period a stop" [syn: period, point, full stop, stop, full point]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English periode, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin, Latin, & Greek; Medieval Latin periodus period of time, punctuation mark, from Latin & Greek; Latin, rhetorical period, from Greek periodos circuit, period of time, rhetorical period, from peri- + hodos way Date: circa 1530 1. the completion of a cycle, a series of events, or a single action ; conclusion 2. a. (1) an utterance from one full stop to another ; sentence (2) a well-proportioned sentence of several clauses (3) periodic sentence b. a musical structure or melodic section usually composed of two or more contrasting or complementary phrases and ending with a cadence 3. a. the full pause with which the utterance of a sentence closes b. end, stop 4. obsolete goal, purpose 5. a. (1) a point . used to mark the end (as of a declarative sentence or an abbreviation) (2) — used interjectionally to emphasize the finality of the preceding statement <I don't remember — period> b. a rhythmical unit in Greek verse composed of a series of two or more cola 6. a. a portion of time determined by some recurring phenomenon b. (1) the interval of time required for a cyclic motion or phenomenon to complete a cycle and begin to repeat itself (2) a number k that does not change the value of a periodic function f when added to the independent variable; especially the smallest such number c. a single cyclic occurrence of menstruation 7. a. a chronological division ; stage b. a division of geologic time longer than an epoch and included in an era c. a stage of culture having a definable place in time and space 8. a. one of the divisions of the academic day b. one of the divisions of the playing time of a game Synonyms: period, epoch, era, age mean a division of time. period may designate an extent of time of any length <periods of economic prosperity>. epoch applies to a period begun or set off by some significant or striking quality, change, or series of events <the steam engine marked a new epoch in industry>. era suggests a period of history marked by a new or distinct order of things <the era of global communications>. age is used frequently of a fairly definite period dominated by a prominent figure or feature <the age of Samuel Johnson>. II. adjective Date: 1905 of, relating to, or representing a particular historical period <period furniture> <period costumes>

Britannica Concise

In geology, the basic unit of the geologic time scale. During these spans of time, specific systems of rocks were formed. Originally, the method for defining the sequence of periods was relative; it was based on stratigraphy and paleontology. Carbon-14 dating and similar methods are now used to determine absolute ages for various periods.

U.S. Military Dictionary

The time it takes for a satellite to complete one orbit around the earth. (JP 3-14)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 a length or portion of time (showers and bright periods). 2 a distinct portion of history, a person's life, etc. (the Georgian period; Picasso's Blue Period). 3 Geol. a time forming part of a geological era (the Quaternary period). 4 a an interval between recurrences of an astronomical or other phenomenon. b the time taken by a planet to rotate about its axis. 5 the time allowed for a lesson in school. 6 an occurrence of menstruation. 7 a a complete sentence, esp. one consisting of several clauses. b (in pl.) rhetorical language. 8 esp. US a = full stop (see FULL(1)). b used at the end of a sentence etc. to indicate finality, absoluteness, etc. (we want the best, period). 9 a a set of figures marked off in a large number to assist in reading. b a set of figures repeated in a recurring decimal. c the smallest interval over which a function takes the same value. 10 Chem. a sequence of elements between two noble gases forming a row in the periodic table. --adj. belonging to or characteristic of some past period (period furniture). Phrases and idioms: of the period of the era under discussion (the custom of the period). period piece an object or work whose main interest lies in its historical etc. associations. Etymology: ME f. OF periode f. L periodus f. Gk periodos (as PERI-, odos = hodos way)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Period Pe"ri*od, v. t. To put an end to. [Obs.] --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Period Pe"ri*od, v. i. To come to a period; to conclude. [Obs.] ``You may period upon this, that,'' etc. --Felthman.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Period Pe"ri*od, n. [L. periodus, Gr. ? a going round, a way round, a circumference, a period of time; ? round, about + ? a way: cf. F. p['e]riode.] 1. A portion of time as limited and determined by some recurring 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. 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. --Shak. 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. Note: 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 co["o]rdinate 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(periods) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A period is a length of time. This crisis might last for a long period of time. ...a period of a few months. ...for a limited period only. N-COUNT: usu with supp 2. A period in the life of a person, organization, or society is a length of time which is remembered for a particular situation or activity. ...a period of economic good health and expansion... He went through a period of wanting to be accepted... The South African years were his most creative period. N-COUNT: with supp 3. A particular length of time in history is sometimes called a period. For example, you can talk about the Victorian period or the Elizabethan period in Britain. ...the Roman period... No reference to their existence appears in any literature of the period. N-COUNT: usu with supp 4. Period costumes, furniture, and instruments were made at an earlier time in history, or look as if they were made then. ...dressed in full period costume. ADJ: ADJ n 5. Exercise, training, or study periods are lengths of time that are set aside for exercise, training, or study. They accompanied him during his exercise periods. N-COUNT: usu n N 6. At a school or college, a period is one of the parts that the day is divided into during which lessons or other activities take place. ...periods of private study. N-COUNT 7. When a woman has a period, she bleeds from her womb. This usually happens once a month, unless she is pregnant. N-COUNT 8. Some people say period after stating a fact or opinion when they want to emphasize that they are definite about something and do not want to discuss it further. I don't want to do it, period. ADV: cl ADV [emphasis] 9. A period is the punctuation mark () which you use at the end of a sentence when it is not a question or an exclamation. (AM; in BRIT, use full stop) N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Circuit. 2. Cycle, circle of time, revolution of time, round of years. 3. Time, term, era, epoch, age, date. 4. Duration, continuance. 5. End, limit, bound, termination, conclusion, determination. 6. (Rhet.) Sentence (full or completed), proposition, phrase, clause. 7. (Gram.) Dot, full stop.

Moby Thesaurus

Alexandrine, Archean, Archeozoic, Cambrian, Carboniferous, Cenozoic, Comanchean, Cretaceous, Devonian, Eocene, Glacial, Holocene, Lower Cretaceous, Lower Tertiary, Mesozoic, Miocene, Mississippian, Oligocene, Paleocene, Paleozoic, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Pleistocene, Pliocene, Precambrian, Proterozoic, Quaternary, Recent, Silurian, Tertiary, Triassic, Upper Cretaceous, Upper Tertiary, Z, accent, accentuation, adjectival phrase, aeon, age, amount, amphibrach, amphimacer, amplitude, anacrusis, anapest, annual period, antinode, antispast, aphelion, apodosis, apogee, arsis, astronomical longitude, autumnal equinox, bacchius, baseball season, basketball season, bass passage, beat, boundary, bourdon, bridge, burden, cadence, caesura, caliber, catalexis, catamenia, catamenial discharge, catastrophe, ceasing, celestial equator, celestial longitude, celestial meridian, cessation, chloriamb, chloriambus, chorus, chronology, circle, clause, close, closing, closure, coda, cold season, colon, colures, comma, compass, concert season, conclusion, construction, consummation, continuity, counterpoint, courses, crack of doom, crest, cretic, culmination, curtain, curtains, cut, dactyl, days, de Broglie wave, death, decease, degree, denouement, destination, destiny, development, diaeresis, diffraction, dimeter, dipody, discontinuance, division, dochmiac, doom, dry season, duration, duree, ecliptic, effect, electromagnetic wave, elegiac, elegiac couplet, elegiac pentameter, emphasis, end, end point, ending, envoi, epilogue, epitrite, epoch, equator, equinoctial, equinoctial circle, equinoctial colure, equinox, era, eschatology, expiration, exposition, expression, extent, fate, feminine caesura, figure, final solution, final twitch, final words, finale, finality, finis, finish, flowers, folderol, foot, football season, frequency, frequency band, frequency spectrum, full stop, galactic longitude, geocentric longitude, geodetic longitude, goal, grade, great circle, guided wave, harmonic close, headed group, height, heliocentric longitude, heptameter, heptapody, heroic couplet, hexameter, hexapody, iamb, iambic, iambic pentameter, ictus, idiom, idiotism, in phase, interference, interlude, intermezzo, interval, introductory phrase, ionic, izzard, jingle, juncture, last, last breath, last gasp, last things, last trumpet, last words, lastingness, latter end, leap, level, light, lilt, locution, longitude, longitudinal wave, manner of speaking, mark, masculine caesura, measure, mechanical wave, menses, menstrual discharge, menstruation, meridian, meter, metrical accent, metrical foot, metrical group, metrical unit, metron, molossus, monthlies, mora, movement, musical phrase, musical sentence, node, notch, noun phrase, nuance, numbers, off season, omega, orbit, ornament, out of phase, paeon, paragraph, part, pas, passage, patch, pause, payoff, peculiar expression, peg, pentameter, pentapody, perigee, perihelion, periodic wave, periodicity, periods, peroration, phrasal idiom, phrase, pitch, plane, plateau, point, proceleusmatic, proportion, psychological time, pyrrhic, quantity, quietus, radio wave, rainy season, range, ratio, ray, reach, refrain, reinforcement, remove, resolution, resonance, resonance frequency, response, resting place, rhythm, ritornello, round, rung, scale, scope, season, seasonableness, seasonality, section, seismic wave, semicolon, sentence, set phrase, shade, shadow, shock wave, small circle, social season, solstitial colure, sound wave, space, space-time, span, spell, spondee, sprung rhythm, stair, standard, standard phrase, stanza, statement, step, stint, stop, stoppage, stopping place, strain, stress, stretch, surface wave, swan song, swing, syntactic structure, syzygy, tailpiece, tense, term, terminal, termination, terminus, tetrameter, tetrapody, tetraseme, that time, the curse, the future, the past, the present, the season, thesis, tidal wave, tide, time, time of year, timebinding, trajectory, transverse wave, tread, tribrach, trimeter, tripody, triseme, trochee, trough, turn of expression, turn of phrase, tutti, tutti passage, usage, utterance, variation, verb complex, verb phrase, verbalism, vernal equinox, verse, wave, wave equation, wave motion, wave number, wavelength, way of speaking, while, windup, word-group, years, zodiac, zone