Dictionary.com
definitions

periphery

[ puh-rif-uh-ree ]
/ pəˈrɪf ə ri /
||
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.

RELATED CONTENT

Where Did The Word”Pi” Come From?Pi is the Latin name of the sixteenth Greek letter, π. But, where did it come from?
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour,
  2. peripheral scotoma,
  3. peripheral vision,
  4. peripheralism,
  5. peripheric,
  6. periphlebitis,
  7. periphrase,
  8. periphrasis,
  9. periphrastic,
  10. periphyton

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
ANTONYMS FOR periphery
1, 2. center.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR periphery ON THESAURUS.COM
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
Word Origin and History for periphery

periphery

n.

late 14c., "atmosphere around the earth," from Old French periferie (Modern French périphérie), from Medieval Latin periferia, from Late Latin peripheria, from Greek peripheria "circumference, outer surface, line round a circular body," literally "a carrying around," from peripheres "rounded, moving round, revolving," peripherein "carry or move round," from peri- "round about" (see peri-) + pherein "to carry" (see infer). Meaning "outside boundary of a surface" attested in English from 1570s; general sense of "boundary" is from 1660s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.