Periodical
nounA magazine or journal issued at regular intervals.
How to spell periodical
10 letters · 5 syllables
How to pronounce periodical
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does periodical mean?
- nounA magazine or journal issued at regular intervals.
- adjectiveHappening or recurring at regular intervals.
Periodical in a sentence
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noun
The library subscribes to a respected medical periodical.
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adjective
The boiler needs periodical servicing to stay safe.
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noun
She published her research findings in an academic periodical.
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adjective
They made periodical checks on the elderly tenant throughout winter.
Where does periodical come from?
Language of origin: Greek
The word traces back to the Greek periodos, which literally meant 'a way round' or 'a circuit', built from peri 'around' and hodos 'way' or 'path'. From this came the idea of a recurring cycle, something that comes around again at fixed intervals. Latin took the term as periodus, and English shaped the adjective 'periodical' in the early 1600s to describe anything happening at regular, repeating intervals. By the late 1700s it had settled into its familiar noun sense for a magazine or journal published at fixed times, since such publications appear in a regular cycle. The same hodos 'path' root quietly survives in 'method' (a way of pursuing something) and in 'exodus' (a way out), which can help anchor the spelling of that unstressed middle.
How the word is built
- peri- (around)
- hodos (way/path)
- -ic (adjective)
- -al (adjective/noun suffix)
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