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periphery

[ puh-rif-uh-ree ]
/ pəˈrɪf ə ri /
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See synonyms for periphery on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural pe·riph·er·ies.
the external boundary of any surface or area.
the external surface of a body.
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.
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Origin of periphery

1350–1400; <Late Latin peripherīa<Greek periphéreia circumference, literally, a bearing round, equivalent to peri-peri- + phér(ein) to bear1 + -eia-y3; replacing Middle English periferie<Medieval Latin periferīa, variant spelling of Late Latin peripherīa
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to periphery

brink, fringe, perimeter, rim, verge, ambit, border, boundary, brim, circuit, circumference, compass, covering, edge, hem, margin, outside, skirt

How to use periphery in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for periphery

periphery
/ (pəˈrɪfərɪ) /
noun plural -eries
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

Word Origin for periphery

C16: from Late Latin peripherīa, from Greek, from peri- + pherein to bear
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
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