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peri·he·lion noun, plural -he·lia : the point in the path of a celestial body (as a planet) that is nearest to the sun

per·il noun 1 : exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed, or lost

2 : something that imperils

Synonyms

[1, 2] danger, hazard, menace, pitfall, risk, threat, trouble—more at DANGER

per·il·ous adjective : full of or involving peril

— per·il·ous·ly adverb

Synonyms

dangerous, grave, grievous, hazardous, menacing, parlous, risky, serious, unhealthy, unsafe, venturesome—more at DANGEROUS

pe·rim·e·ter noun 1 : the boundary of a closed plane figure; also : its length

2 : a line bounding or protecting an area

Synonyms

border, bound, boundary, confines, edge, periphery

peri·na·tal adjective : occurring in, concerned with, or being in the period around the time of birth <~ care>

1period noun [ORIGIN: ultim. fr. Gk periodos circuit, period of time, rhetorical period, fr. peri around + hodos way]

1 : SENTENCE; also : the full pause closing the utterance of a sentence

2 : END, STOP

3 : a punctuation mark . used esp. to mark the end of a declarative sentence or an abbreviation

4 : an extent of time; especially : one regarded as a stage or division in a process or development

5 : a portion of time in which a recurring phenomenon completes one cycle and is ready to begin again

6 : a single cyclic occurrence of menstruation

Synonyms

age, epoch, era, time

2period adjective : of or relating to a particular historical period <~ furniture>

pe·ri·od·ic adjective 1 : occurring at regular intervals of time

2 : happening repeatedly from time to time

3 : of or relating to a sentence that has no trailing elements following full grammatical statement of the essential idea

Synonyms

[1] constant, frequent, habitual, regular, repeated, steady—more at REGULAR

[2] continual, intermittent, recurrent

1periodical adjective 1 : ocurring or recurring at regular intervals or from time to time : PERIODIC

2 : published with a fixed interval between the issues or numbers

3 : of or relating to a periodical

— pe·ri·od·i·cal·ly adverb

2periodical noun : a periodical publication

periodic table noun : an arrangement of chemical elements based on their atomic structure and on their properties

peri·odon·tal adjective 1 : surrounding a tooth

2 : of or affecting periodontal tissues or regions

per·i·pa·tet·ic adjective : performed or performing while moving about : ITINERANT

Synonyms

errant, itinerant, nomad, roaming, vagabond, vagrant—more at ITINERANT

1peripheral adjective 1 : of, relating to, involving, or forming a periphery or surface part

2 : added or serving as a supplement

Synonyms

accessory, auxiliary, supplementary—more at AUXILIARY

2peripheral noun : a device connected to a computer to provide communication or auxiliary functions

peripheral nervous system noun : the part of the nervous system that is outside the central nervous system and comprises the spinal nerves, the cranial nerves except the one supplying the retina, and the autonomic nervous system

pe·riph·ery noun, plural -er·ies 1 : the boundary of a rounded figure

2 : outward bounds : border area

Synonyms

border, bound, boundary, circumference, compass, confines, edge, end, fringe, margin, perimeter, rim, skirt, verge—more at BORDER

pe·riph·ra·sis noun, plural -ra·ses : CIRCUMLOCUTION

peri·scope noun : a tubular optical instrument enabling an observer to see an otherwise blocked field of view

per·ish verb : to become destroyed or ruined; especially to have one's life come to an end

Synonyms

decease, depart, die, expire, pass, pass away, succumb—more at DIE

per·ish·able adjective : easily spoiled <~ foods>

— perishable noun

peri·stal·sis noun, plural -stal·ses : waves of contraction passing along the walls of a hollow muscular organ (as the intestine) and forcing its contents onward

— per·i·stal·tic adjective

peri·style noun : a row of