Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for periodic on Thesaurus.com recurring at intervals of time: periodic revivals of an interest in handicrafts. occurring or appearing at regular intervals: periodic visits by doctors to the village. repeated at irregular intervals; intermittent: periodic outbreaks of the disease. Physics recurring at equal intervals of time. Mathematics (of a function) having a graph that repeats after a fixed interval (period) of the independent variable. Astronomy characterized by a series of successive circuits or revolutions, as the motion of a planet or satellite. of or relating to a period, as of the revolution of a heavenly body. pertaining to or characterized by rhetorical periods, or periodic sentences. Show More
Origin of periodic 1 1635–45; <
Latin periodicus <
Greek periodikós. See
period ,
-ic Related forms pe·ri·od·i·cal·ly , adverb qua·si-pe·ri·od·i·cal·ly , adverb Origin of periodic 2 First recorded in
1830–40; per- +
iodic Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for periodic yearly ,
recurrent ,
intermittent ,
annual ,
occasional ,
repeated ,
regular ,
routine ,
sporadic ,
seasonal ,
monthly ,
recurring ,
weekly ,
periodical ,
alternate ,
cyclical ,
daily ,
infrequent ,
perennial ,
rhythmic Examples from the Web for periodic Contemporary Examples of periodic The periodic agony that accompanies sickle cell was joined by the torment of persistent eye infections and repeated surgeries.
And even now that ISIS has retreated from the area, it is still subject to periodic attacks from the Assad regime.
And when you review the periodic table, take special note of Tungsten, or Wolfram.
Conditioning the Fed to react less to periodic market tantrums will take a strong will.
There were periodic beatings where the guards would enter with canes.
Historical Examples of periodic The periodic or compensating errors of the planets is another instance.
The periodic time of the moon is the interval required for one circuit of its orbit.
But what was his surprise to observe that these alterations were not of an annually periodic character.
His hopes for the best had been but periodic interruptions to a chronic fear of the worst.
Juno was to at once begin her first contribution to periodic literature.
British Dictionary definitions for periodic happening or recurring at intervals; intermittent of, relating to, or resembling a period having or occurring in repeated periods or cycles Show More
Derived Forms periodically , adverb periodicity (ˌpɪərɪəˈdɪsɪtɪ ), noun Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for periodic adj. 1640s, from French périodique (14c.), from Latin periodicus , from periodus (see period ).
Periodic table in chemistry (1889) is from notion of the arrangement, in which similar properties recur at intervals in elements in the same area as you read down the rows of the table. This sense of the word is attested from 1872 (periodic law ).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Having or marked by repeated cycles. Recurring at regular intervals. Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
