Period Meaning
Period Definition & Usage
A length of time during which something occurs or continues.
Examples
- "The school semester lasts for a period of six months."
- "He took a long period of rest after his surgery."
- "There was a quiet period after the crisis before things started to improve."
- "The research project spans a period of two years."
- "During this period of rapid economic growth, many businesses flourished."
A punctuation mark (.) used to indicate the end of a sentence, or to signify an abbreviation.
Examples
- "Please make sure to add a period at the end of each sentence."
- "The abbreviation 'etc.' should be followed by a period."
- "I didn't know if that was the end of the conversation, so I waited for a period of silence."
- "In formal writing, always use a period after a declarative sentence."
- "She always ends her emails with a period, even if it's a short message."
A final, decisive moment or statement that ends an argument or discussion.
Examples
- "That was the period on the argument; no one had anything else to add."
- "She dropped the final period with her statement, leaving no room for further debate."
- "When he said, 'That's it,' that was the period on the matter."
- "The judge's ruling put a period at the end of the trial."
- "The boss’s decision was the period that ended the discussion about the project."
A full cycle of a repeating event or phenomenon, such as the time it takes for a planet to orbit a star or for a waveform to complete.
Examples
- "The period of Earth's orbit around the sun is approximately 365.25 days."
- "The period of the pendulum depends on its length."
- "Scientists are studying the period of a new type of wave phenomenon."
- "The period of the moon's orbit is about 29.5 days."
- "The frequency of the signal determines the period of the wave."
Cultural Context
The word 'period' has a rich history, originating from the Greek word 'periodos', meaning a cycle or circuit. Over time, its meaning has expanded from simple time frames to various technical, grammatical, and cultural contexts. It is now used in a broad range of fields, from writing to science to everyday conversation.
The Final Period
Story
The Final Period
In the small town of Riverton, everything moved according to a rhythm—a sequence of events that repeated like clockwork. Emma, a young journalist at the local newspaper, had just finished her first big article about the town's history. It had taken her a period of six months to gather the interviews, research, and anecdotes from the elders, and she was both nervous and excited to see it printed. The day the article was published, Emma stood outside the newspaper office, looking at the headline. 'Riverton: A Town Through Time,' it read, and under it, her name, printed in bold. It was the end of a long period of hard work. But Emma's journey wasn’t over. As she stood there, the town's mayor, Mr. Harris, walked up, holding a piece of paper. He had been in the town for over thirty years and knew every corner of it. He smiled and handed Emma a note, saying, 'You’ve done a fantastic job, but let me tell you something. A good journalist knows when to put a period on a story. This one is over. No more revisions, no more additions. It’s done.' Emma nodded, grateful for the advice, but the finality of his words hit her like a hammer. The period was the ultimate sign of closure, the end of an era. As the evening sun dipped behind the hills, she realized something more—she was starting a new period in her career. The past had shaped her, but now it was time to move forward into a new chapter. There was no going back. And with that thought, she placed her pen down for the last time on the story that had taken so long to finish. A true period on the page.
Related Words
