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[peer-ee-uh d] /ˈpɪər i əd/
any specified division or portion of time:
poetry of the period from 1603 to 1660.
the time during which something runs its course.
the present time.
the point or character (.) used to mark the end of a declarative sentence, indicate an abbreviation, etc.; full stop.
a full pause, as is made at the end of a complete sentence; full stop.
a sentence, especially a well-balanced, impressive sentence:
the stately periods of Churchill.
a periodic sentence.
an occurrence of menstruation.
a time of the month during which menstruation occurs.
Physics. the duration of one complete cycle of a wave or oscillation; the reciprocal of the frequency.
Music. a division of a composition, usually a passage of eight or sixteen measures, complete or satisfactory in itself, commonly consisting of two or more contrasted or complementary phrases ending with a conclusive cadence; sentence (def 3).
  1. Also called period of rotation. the time in which a body rotates once on its axis.
  2. Also called period of revolution. the time in which a planet or satellite revolves once about its primary.
Mathematics, See under periodic1 (def 5).
Classical Prosody. a group of two or more cola.
period costumes; a period play.
I forbid you to go, period.
late Middle English
1375-1425; late Middle English periode (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin periodus, Latin < Greek períodos circuit, period of time, period in rhetoric, literally, way around. See peri-, -ode2
Related forms
subperiod, noun
Can be confused
interval, period.
1. See age. 2. term. Unabridged
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British Dictionary definitions for period-revolution


a portion of time of indefinable length: he spent a period away from home
  1. a portion of time specified in some way: the Arthurian period, Picasso's blue period
  2. (as modifier): period costume
a nontechnical name for an occurrence of menstruation
(geology) a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks is formed: the Jurassic period
a division of time, esp of the academic day
(physics, maths)
  1. the time taken to complete one cycle of a regularly recurring phenomenon; the reciprocal of frequency T
  2. an interval in which the values of a periodic function follow a certain pattern that is duplicated over successive intervals: sin x = sin (x + 2π), where 2π is the period
  1. the time required by a body to make one complete rotation on its axis
  2. the time interval between two successive maxima or minima of light variation of a variable star
(chem) one of the horizontal rows of elements in the periodic table. Each period starts with an alkali metal and ends with a rare gas Compare group (sense 11)
Also called full stop. the punctuation mark (.) used at the end of a sentence that is not a question or exclamation, after abbreviations, etc
a complete sentence, esp a complex one with several clauses
(music) Also called sentence. a passage or division of a piece of music, usually consisting of two or more contrasting or complementary musical phrases and ending on a cadence
(in classical prosody) a unit consisting of two or more cola
(rare) a completion or end
Word Origin
C14 peryod, from Latin periodus, from Greek periodos circuit, from peri- + hodos way
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for period-revolution





Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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period-revolution in Medicine

period pe·ri·od (pĭr'ē-əd)

  1. An interval of time characterized by the occurrence of a certain condition, event, or phenomenon.

  2. One of the stages of a disease.

  3. A menstrual period.

  4. A sequence of elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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period-revolution in Science
  1. A division of geologic time that is longer than an epoch and shorter than an era.

  2. The duration of one cycle of a regularly recurring action or event. See also cycle, frequency.

  3. An occurrence of menstruation.

  4. In the Periodic Table, any of the seven horizontal rows that contain elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number. All the elements in a particular period have the same number of electron shells in their atoms, equal to the number of the period. Thus, atoms of nickel, copper, and zinc, in period four, each have four electron shells. See Periodic Table.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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period-revolution in Culture

period definition

A punctuation mark (.) that ends a declarative sentence. A period is also used in abbreviations such as Mr. and Dr.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang definitions & phrases for period-revolution



End of story. That is final: Don't ask me again. Period

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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