Webster's English Dictionary

period

1. pe.ri.od \'pir-e--*d\ n [ME pariode, fr. MF periode, fr. ML, L, & Gk; ML 
   periodus per]iod of time, punctuation mark, fr. L & Gk; L, rhetorical 
   period, fr. Gk periodos circuit, period of time, rhetorical period, fr. 
   peri- + hodos way - more at CEDE 1a1: an utterance from one full stop to 
   another : SENTENCE  1a2: a well-proportioned sentence of several clauses  
   1a3: PERIODIC SENTENCE  1b: a musical structure or melodic section usu. of 
   8 or 16 measures and of  2 or more contrasting or complementary phrases and 
   ending with a cadence 2a: the full pause with which the utterance of a 
   sentence closes  2b: END, STOP  obs  3: GOAL, PURPOSE  4a: a point . used 
   to mark the end (as of a declarative sentence or an abbr eviation) 4b: a 
   rhythmical unit in Greek verse composed of a series of two or more co la 5: 
   the completion of a cycle, a series of events, or a single action : 
   MCONCLUSION 6a: a portion of time determined by some recurring phenomenon  
   6b: the interval of time required for a cyclic motion or phenomenon to comp 
   lete a cycle and begin to repeat itself 6c: a single cyclic occurrence of 
   menstruation  7a: a chronological division : STAGE  7b: a division of 
   geologic time longer than an epoch and included in an era  7c: a stage of 
   culture having a definable place in time and space  8a: one of the 
   divisions of the academic day  8b: one of the divisions of the playing time 
   of a game ime. PERIOD may designate an extent of time of any length; EPOCH 
   applies to a period begun or set off by some significant or striking 
   quality, change, or series of events; ERA suggests a period of history 
   marked by a new or distinct order of things; AGE is used frequently of a 
   fairly definite period strongly dominated by a central figure or prominent 
   feature SYN syn PERIOD, EPOCH, ERA, AGE mean a division of t 
2. period aj : of, relating to, or representing a particular historical 
   period