period

/'piəriəd/
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period

A student puts a period at the end of her sentence.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A punctuation mark (.): A dot used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence or after an abbreviation.
    • A length of time: An amount of time, which can be a specific duration, a historical era, or a distinct phase.
    • A recurring cycle: The interval of time for one complete cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon.
    • A division of time in sports or games: One of the segments into which a game is divided.
    • Menstruation: The monthly discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus in women of reproductive age.
    • An end or conclusion: The point of completion or termination of something.
Usage Examples
  • As a punctuation mark:
    • Please end your sentence with a period.
    • The abbreviation "Dr." ends with a period.
  • As a length of time:
    • We studied the Victorian period in history class.
    • There will be a short period of rain this afternoon.
  • As a recurring cycle:
    • The period of a pendulum's swing is constant.
  • As a division in a game:
    • Our team scored two goals in the first period of the hockey game.
  • Referring to menstruation:
    • She experiences cramps during her period.
  • Referring to an end:
    • His resignation put a period to the speculation.
Advanced Usage
  • "Period" as a final emphatic statement: Used in informal speech to emphasize that there is nothing more to discuss.
    • I am not going, period.
  • "Period piece": A work of art, film, or literature set in a specific historical period.
    • The movie is a beautiful period piece set in the 1920s.
  • "Period of grace": An extra amount of time allowed before a rule or penalty is enforced.
    • The bank offered a short period of grace for the loan payment.
Variants and Related Words
  • Periodic (adj): Happening or appearing at regular intervals.
    • He makes periodic visits to his hometown.
  • Periodical (n): A magazine or journal published at regular intervals.
    • She subscribes to a monthly periodical about science.
  • Periodicity (n): The quality or character of being periodic; the tendency to recur at intervals.
    • The periodicity of the tides is well understood.
Synonyms
  • Era (n): A long and distinct period of history.
  • Epoch (n): A particular period of time marked by distinctive features or events.
  • Interval (n): An intervening time or space.
  • Duration (n): The time during which something continues.
  • Menstruation (n): The process or an instance of discharging the menses.
Related Phrases
  • Put a period to (something): To bring something to an end.
    • The new evidence put a period to the long-running debate.
  • Period of adjustment: A time to get used to a new situation.
    • Moving to a new country requires a period of adjustment.
Related Idioms
  • Period of trial: A time of testing or difficulty.
    • The first year of starting a business is often a period of trial.
  • Period of mourning: A time following a loss, especially a death, during which grief is expressed.
    • The family observed a traditional period of mourning.
period

A student puts a period at the end of her sentence.

Noun
  1. a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations
    • in England they call a period a stop
  2. the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause
    • the women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation
    • a woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped--Hippocrates
    • the semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females--Aristotle
  3. the end or completion of something
    • death put a period to his endeavors
    • a change soon put a period to my tranquility
  4. a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed
    • ganoid fishes swarmed during the earlier geological periods
  5. (ice hockey) one of three divisions into which play is divided in hockey games
  6. the interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon
  7. an amount of time
    • a time period of 30 years
    • hastened the period of time of his recovery
    • Picasso's blue period