Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

periphery

/pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.30 in modern English

Syllables
pe-riph-ery
IPA
/pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/
19
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A first-rank administrative division of Greece, subdivided into provinces.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der. Ancient Greek περί (perí) Ancient Greek περῐ- (perĭ-) Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Hellenic *pʰérō Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō) Ancient Greek περιφέρω (periphérō) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Proto-Hellenic *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek -ής (-ḗs) Ancient Greek περιφερής (peripherḗs) Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂der. Ancient Greek -ια (-ia) Ancient Greek περιφέρεια (periphéreia)bor. Latin peripheriabor. Middle French peripheriebor. English periphery Borrowed from Middle French peripherie. Compare Middle English periferie (“one of three layers of atmosphere (lower, middle, and upper) believed to surround the Earth”), from the same origin, although the Modern English term most likely does not descend from it.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/
  • British English: /pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce periphery?
The recorded pronunciation is /pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/.
What does periphery mean?
The outside boundary, parts or surface of something.
Where does periphery come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der. Ancient Greek περί (perí) Ancient Greek περῐ- (perĭ-) Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Hellenic *pʰérō Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō) Ancient Greek περιφέρω (periphérō) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Proto-Hellenic *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek -ής (-ḗs) Ancient Greek περιφερής (peripherḗs) Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂der. Ancient Greek -ια (-ia) Ancient Greek περιφέρεια (periphéreia)bor. Latin peripheriabor. Middle French peripheriebor. English periphery Borrowed from Middle French peripherie. Compare Middle English periferie (“one of three layers of atmosphere (lower, middle, and upper) believed to surround the Earth”), from the same origin, although the Modern English term most likely does not descend from it.

How to pronounce periphery

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “periphery”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “periphery”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “periphery” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.