periodical
Americannoun
adjective
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published at regularly recurring intervals.
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of or relating to such publications.
noun
adjective
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of or relating to such publications
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published at regular intervals
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periodic or occasional
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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periodicalismnoun
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periodicalistnoun
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periodicalnessnoun
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nonperiodicaladjective
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unperiodicaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of periodical
First recorded in 1595–1605; periodic 1 + -al 1
Explanation
If your weekend ritual includes reading the Sunday paper from front to back and then comparing stories in the latest celebrity gossip magazines, you appreciate periodicals, publications that come out on a regular basis. The word periodical is related to period, as in a certain length of time. Periodicals are published with regular lengths of time between issues and are described by that length of time, whether it's daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual. They may be meant for a general audience like the ones you find on the magazine stand in the airport, or they may be more specialized for readers with specific interests, such as The Journal of the Society for Penguin Appreciation or Window Washer Gazette.
Vocabulary lists containing periodical
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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.
Periodical cicadas stay buried for years, until they surface and take over a landscape.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2024
Periodical cicadas burrow into the ground shortly after hatching and spend either 13 or 17 years nestled in a little mud cell, until finally they emerge for mating fiesta.
From Slate • Apr. 14, 2024
Periodical cicada emergence events only last for about five to seven weeks.
From Science Daily • Oct. 19, 2023
"Periodical cicadas are the 'bugs of history,'" said Gene Kritsky, a professor of biology at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati.
From Salon • May 11, 2021
The members of the Club also receive magazines from the Church Periodical Club, and they pursue extension courses in agricultural subjects.
From The American Country Girl by Crow, Martha Foote
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.
