periphery
Americannoun
plural
peripheries-
the external boundary of any surface or area.
- Synonyms:
- perimeter, circumference
- Antonyms:
- center
-
the external surface of a body.
- Antonyms:
- center
-
the edge or outskirts, as of a city or urban area.
-
the relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question.
The preliminary research did not, of course, take me beyond the periphery of my problem.
-
Anatomy. the area in which nerves end.
noun
-
the outermost boundary of an area
-
the outside surface of something
-
anatomy the surface or outermost part of the body or one of its organs or parts
Etymology
Origin of periphery
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Late Latin peripherīa, from Greek periphéreia “circumference,” literally, “a bearing round,” from peri- peri- + phér(ein) “to bear” + -eia -y 3; replacing Middle English periferie, from Medieval Latin periferīa, variant spelling of Late Latin peripherīa
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The specialized nature of kickers can place them on the periphery of team bonding, but Loop’s teammates and coaches were supportive in the aftermath of the season-ending loss.
From Los Angeles Times
Despite being on the periphery of the Spanish empire and Mexico before becoming part of the United States, California had an important place in the larger struggle by enslaved people for their freedom.
From Los Angeles Times
Since then, the French leader has churned through four prime ministers, while France’s borrowing costs have risen to levels familiar to Europe’s debt-laden periphery, surpassing those of Greece and Italy.
The band moves in the fertile periphery where sunshine pop meets dream rock, channeling the Police on the reggae vibe of “Universal Hit” and diving into Cocteau Twins ether on “La Vuelta.”
From Los Angeles Times
We moved four times before I turned ten, with the threat of a fifth and sixth always dangling in the periphery, which ingrained something of a perennial outsider feeling.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
