Period Means a Way Around
A period is a length of time. The Greek combines around and a way, describing a circuit completed.
A period is a length of time. The Greek *periodos* combines *peri*, around, with *hodos*, a way — a going round, a completed circuit. That is why the word suits both an orbit and a recurring interval. American English also uses it for the full stop, which British English calls a full stop.
- A length of time. *A long period.*
- A full stop (American). *Ends with a period.*
- A menstrual period. *Period pain.*
- A lesson. *Third period.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | period | A brief period. |
| Plural | periods | Successive periods. |
| Adjective | periodic | Periodic checks. |
| Adjective | periodical | A monthly periodical. |
| Related | episode | A single episode. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The periodic table repeats properties.Which is why it is periodic.
- Americans say period, Britons full stop.Punctuation.
- Period drama is set in the past.A specific era.
Periodic and periodical
- Periodic — occurring at intervals
- Periodical — a magazine issued regularly
- Periodic table — arranged so properties recur in columns
- Period piece — a work set in, or typical of, a past era
- Period — American for the full stop
From Greek *periodos*, a going round, from *peri*, around, and *hodos*, a way — the same *hodos* as in *method*.
Period or full stop?
Period is American, full stop British. Both name the dot ending a sentence.
Why is the periodic table periodic?
Because chemical properties repeat at regular intervals as atomic number increases, which is what the table's columns display.