periodic
/ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.63 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adj
Pertaining to the revolution of a celestial object in its orbit.
adj
adj
Relating to the highest oxidation state of iodine; of or derived from a periodic acid.
Example Sentences
- "There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up […].”"
- "That last problem did intrude on Hazzard’s roamings, and when she refers to the living city it is with periodic references to thefts of cars and wallets, with a warning not to carry anything “snatchable” by the thieves on motorcycles who whiz through the streets."
Etymology
From French périodique, from Medieval Latin periodicus (“cyclical”), from Latin periodus (“complete sentence, period, circuit”), from Ancient Greek περίοδος (períodos, “cycle, period of time”). By surface analysis, period + -ic.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: périodique, periodicus, periodus, περίοδος
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪk/
- British English: /ˌpɪɹiˈɒdɪk/