English
period
Period comes from Middle French periode, from Medieval Latin periodus, from Ancient Greek περίοδος ‘circuit, recurring interval of time’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπερῐ́οδος1perĭ́odos‘circuit, orbit, recurring interval of time’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500periodus1
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600periode1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500periode1
- Englishearliest quotation 1590period1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English period
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Robert Greene, The Shepheards Tale: “As thus all gazed on hir, so she glaunced…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπερῐ́οδοςWiktionary, English periodperĭ́odos‘circuit, orbit, recurring interval of time’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500periodusWiktionary, English period
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600periodeWiktionary, English period
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500periodeWiktionary, English period
- Englishearliest quotation 1590periodWiktionary, English period. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Robert Greene, The Shepheards Tale: “As thus all gazed on hir, so she glaunced…”
A compound of περῐ́ ‘[with genitive]’ + ὁδός ‘road’
Proto-Indo-European *per-
Ancient Greek περῐ́ ‘[with genitive]’
Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’
Proto-Indo-European *sodós
Proto-Hellenic *hodós
Ancient Greek ὁδός ‘road’
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Today it means
noun A length of time.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “period”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek περῐ́οδος / period