period
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pe·riod (pir′ē əd)
noun
- the interval between recurrent astronomical events, as between two full moons
- the interval between certain happenings a ten-year period of peace
- a portion of time, often indefinite, characterized by certain events, processes, conditions, etc.; stage a period of change, the present period
- any of the portions of time into which an event of fixed duration, as a game or a school day, is divided
- the full course, or one of the stages, of a disease
- an occurrence of menstruation; menses
- an end, completion, or conclusion, or a point of time marking this death put a period to his plans
- Geol. a subdivision of an era in geologic time corresponding to the rock strata of a system (sense )
- Gram., Rhetoric
- a sentence, esp. a balanced, well-constructed, complex sentence
- the natural pause in speaking used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence
- the mark of punctuation (.) used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence
- the dot (.) following many abbreviations
- Math. the interval from one repetition to the next of a recurrent or self-duplicating function
- Music a group of two or more related phrases ending with a cadence
- Physics the interval of time necessary for a regularly recurring motion to make a complete cycle
- 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
interjection
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
period
n.
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.An end
limit, conclusion, close; see end 2.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
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Preposition: of
- month: Our trial period is followed by a minimum contract period of 3 months.
Converse of object
- cover: All of these reports covered a period from early December 1948 to 1949.
Adjective modifier
- long: For a long period he didn't come to the studio at all.
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.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
Peace, n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.
Mr Wordsworth'sgeniusisa pure emanationofthe Spirit ofthe Age.Had helived inanyother period of the world, he would never have been heard of.
A cricket tour in Australia would be a most delightful period in one's life if one was deaf.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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MLA Style
"period." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/period>
APA Style
period. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/period
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