definitions

periphery

[ puh-rif-uh-ree ]
/ pəˈrɪf ə ri /
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SEE MORE 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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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour, peripheral scotoma, peripheral vision, peripheralism, peripheric, periphery, periphlebitis, periphrasis, periphrastic, periphyton, periplasm

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for periphery

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

Medicine definitions for periphery

periphery

[ pə-rĭf′ə-rē ]

n.

The outermost part or region within a precise boundary; the part away from center.
The outer surface of a solid.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.