periphery

[ puh-rif-uh-ree ]

noun

, plural pe·riph·er·ies.

1. the external boundary of any surface or area.

   Synonyms: perimeter, circumference

   Antonyms: center

2. the external surface of a body.

   Antonyms: center

3. the edge or outskirts, as of a city or urban area.
4. the relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question:

   The preliminary research did not, of course, take me beyond the periphery of my problem.

5. Anatomy. the area in which nerves end.

periphery

/ pəˈrɪfərɪ /

noun

1. the outermost boundary of an area
2. the outside surface of something
3. anatomy the surface or outermost part of the body or one of its organs or parts

Word History and Origins

Origin of periphery¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Late Latin peripherīa, from Greek periphéreia “circumference,” literally, “a bearing round,” from peri- peri- + phér(ein) “to bear” + -eia -y ³; replacing Middle English periferie, from Medieval Latin periferīa, variant spelling of Late Latin peripherīa

Word History and Origins

Origin of periphery¹

C16: from Late Latin peripherīa, from Greek, from peri- + pherein to bear

Example Sentences

He just walked around the periphery of the development and proceeded on.

From The Daily Beast

Another U.S. intelligence official said, “Boko Haram is really on the periphery of the al Qaeda universe.”

From The Daily Beast

The problem is, that periphery has now grown much closer thanks to the location of Sochi.

From The Daily Beast

Despite the hype over gentrification, urban economies—including that of New York—still underperform their periphery.

From The Daily Beast

We were on the outer periphery of the operation, too distant to see the scene clearly without binoculars.

From The Daily Beast

It is sometimes indented, with its convex side in contact with the periphery of the cell.

From Project Gutenberg

So the intervals will be equal in the directions both of the periphery and of the length.

From Project Gutenberg

There is something definable there, in the periphery of those ancient ruins.

From Project Gutenberg

His eyes were still on the needles that kept creeping higher and higher along the calibrated periphery of the meters.

From Project Gutenberg

The centers of the crosses are occupied by the central hole of the whorl, while the arms extend to the periphery.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• brink
• fringe
• perimeter
• rim
• verge