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period Definition

pe·riod (pir′ē əd)

noun

  1. the interval between recurrent astronomical events, as between two full moons
  2. the interval between certain happenings a ten-year period of peace
  3. a portion of time, often indefinite, characterized by certain events, processes, conditions, etc.; stage a period of change, the present period
  4. any of the portions of time into which an event of fixed duration, as a game or a school day, is divided
  5. the full course, or one of the stages, of a disease
  6. an occurrence of menstruation; menses
  7. an end, completion, or conclusion, or a point of time marking this death put a period to his plans
  8. Geol. a subdivision of an era in geologic time corresponding to the rock strata of a system (sense )
  9. Gram., Rhetoric
    1. a sentence, esp. a balanced, well-constructed, complex sentence
    2. the natural pause in speaking used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence
    3. the mark of punctuation (.) used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence
    4. the dot (.) following many abbreviations
  10. Math. the interval from one repetition to the next of a recurrent or self-duplicating function
  11. Music a group of two or more related phrases ending with a cadence
  12. Physics the interval of time necessary for a regularly recurring motion to make a complete cycle
  13. Prosody a rhythm group of two or more cola in the Greek system

Etymology: ME paryode < MFr periode < L periodus < Gr periodos, a going around, cycle < peri-, around + hodos, way < IE base *sed-, to go > Sans ā-sad-, go toward

adjective

of or like that of an earlier period or age period furniture

Informal used to indicate that the preceding statement is the speaker's last, conclusive, word on the subject be home by midnight or you're grounded, period!

period Synonyms

period

n.

  1. A measure of time

    epoch, time, era, age, eon, interval, duration, term, span, time span, stretch, spell, space, stage, years, days, season, phase, session, while; see also age 3.

  2. An end

    limit, conclusion, close; see end 2.

  3. A mark of punctuation

    point, full stop, full pause, dot, ending-pitch; see also punctuation.

period is the general term for any portion of time; epoch and era are often used interchangeably to refer to a period marked by radical change, noteworthy developments, etc. an era, or epoch, of great discoveries, but epoch may specifically apply to the beginning of such a new period the steam engine marked an epoch in transportation, while era applies only to the entire period; age is applied to a period identified with some dominant personality or distinctive characteristic the Stone Age; eon refers to an indefinitely long period it all happened eons ago

period Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • month: Our trial period is followed by a minimum contract period of 3 months.
  • time: In most cases these symptoms will diminish over a period of time from a few hours to days or weeks.

Converse of object

  • cover: All of these reports covered a period from early December 1948 to 1949.
  • extend: The first relates to the proposal to extend the maximum period of detention prior to charge to three months.
  • intervene: Naturally all Brigade deficiencies during the intervening period had to be assumed to have been lost in it.
  • specify: Neither Nevada nor Delaware may specify a period of duration greater than 30 years.
  • wait: In the last above data not the waiting period.

Adjective modifier

  • long: For a long period he didn't come to the studio at all.
  • short: For a short period of time to control a flare up then a short course of oral steroids may be used.
  • extended: A persistent cookie is a small text file stored on your hard drive for an extended period of time.
  • same: We wonder how many humans lost their lives during the same period.
  • prolonged: Information: About half of all senior patients take several prescribed or over-the-counter ( OTC ) drugs simultaneously, and frequently over prolonged periods.
  • specified: The court order may be made for a specified period or until a further order.

Modifies a noun

costume: The play is set in 1892 and the period costumes, particularly the ladies ' exquisite dresses, were excellent.

Noun used with modifier

  • accounting: Other benefits include: - A company can define its own accounting period that does not exceed 18 months.
  • consultation: The consultation period will last for six weeks from Monday 19th June 2006 to Monday 31st July 2006.
  • incubation: Due to the long incubation period of the disease it may be years before results are collated.
  • month: Private sector members may try out our services for a three month trial period without paying a subscription.
  • transition: Following a transition period, Alteon will become the official name for FSB later in the year.
  • trial: Our trial period is followed by a minimum contract period of 3 months.