period

noun periods · per.

1. A length of time. There was a period of confusion following the announcement.
2. A length of time in history seen as a single coherent entity; an epoch, era. Food rationing continued in the post-war period.

   Similar: vintage

3. Canada, Philippines, US The punctuation mark “.” (indicating the ending of a sentence or marking an abbreviation). ‘You know, a period? The black spot at the end of a sentence — what do you call them over there?’

   Similar: point, full stop, dot, full-point, plain point

4. figuratively A decisive end to something; a stop. My sufferings, physical and mental, are more than I can bear, and when such small arrangements as I have to make for your future well-being are completed it is my intention to put a period to them.
5. The length of time during which the same characteristics of a periodic phenomenon recur, such as the repetition of a wave or the rotation of a planet.
6. euphemistic Female menstruation; an episode of this. When she is on her period, she prefers not to go swimming.
7. euphemistic The set of symptoms associated with menstruation, even if not accompanied by menstruation; an episode of these symptoms.
8. A section of an artist's, writer's (etc.) career distinguished by a given quality, preoccupation etc. This is one of the last paintings Picasso created during his Blue Period.
9. Each of the divisions into which a school day is split, allocated to a given subject or activity. I have math class in second period.
10. Each of the intervals, typically three, of which a game is divided. Gretzky scored in the last minute of the second period.
11. One or more additional intervals to decide a tied game, an overtime period. They won in the first overtime period.
12. obsolete The length of time for a disease to run its course.
13. archaic An end or conclusion; the final point of a process, a state, an event, etc. As thus all gazed on hir, so she glaunced hir lookes on all, surueying them as curiously, as they noted hir exactly, but at last she set downe her period on the face of Alexis […]
14. rhetoric A complete sentence, especially one expressing a single thought or making a balanced, rhythmic whole. Periods are beautiful when they are not too long.
15. obsolete A specific moment during a given process; a point, a stage. The Death of Patroclus was the most eminent Period; and consequently the most proper Time for such Games.
16. A row in the periodic table of the elements.
17. A geochronologic unit of millions to tens of millions of years; a subdivision of an era, and subdivided into epochs. These fossils are from the Jurassic period.
18. A Drosophila gene, the gene product of which is involved in regulation of the circadian rhythm. Polyclonal antibodies were prepared against the period gene product, which influences biological rhythms in D. melanogaster, by using small synthetic peptides from the per sequence as immunogens.
19. Two phrases (an antecedent and a consequent phrase).
20. The length of an interval over which a periodic function, periodic sequence or repeating decimal repeats; often the least such length.

Similar: duration, interval, period, period of time, tide, time, time interval, time period, timespan, space, span, stound · Opposite: frequency

adjective per.

1. not comparable Designating anything from a given historical era. a period car
2. not comparable Evoking, or appropriate for, a particular historical period, especially through the use of elaborate costumes and scenery. a period piece
3. not comparable Menstrual. period pains

interjection per.

1. Canada, US That's final; that's the end of the matter (analogous to a period ending a sentence); end of story. I know you don't want to go to the dentist, but your teeth need to be checked, period!

   Similar: full stop, that's that, end of discussion

verb periods · perioding · perioded · per.

1. intransitive, obsolete To come to a period; to conclude. For you may period upon this, that where there is the most pity for others, there is the greatest misery in the party pitied.
2. obsolete, rare, transitive To put an end to.
3. colloquial To menstruate; to excrete menstrual blood.