period

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
2. Ancient Greekπερῐ́ (perĭ́)
3. Proto-Indo-European*sed-
4. Proto-Indo-European*sodós?
5. Proto-Hellenic*hodós
6. Ancient Greekὁδός (hodós)
7. Ancient Greekπερῐ́οδος (perĭ́odos)
8. Medieval Latinperiodus
9. Middle Frenchperiode
10. Middle Englishperiode
11. English todayperiod

From Middle English periode, from Middle French periode, from Medieval Latin periodus, from Ancient Greek περίοδος (períodos, “circuit, orbit, a recurring interval of time, path around”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) + ὁδός (hodós, “way”). Displaced native Middle English tide (“interval, period, season”), from Old English tīd (“time, period, season”), as well as Middle English elde (“age, period”), from Old English ieldu (“age, period of time”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 17th c. A length of time.
• from 16th c. A length of time in history seen as a single coherent entity; an epoch, era.
• from 17th c. The length of time during which the same characteristics of a periodic phenomenon recur, such as the repetition of a wave or the rotation of a planet.
• from 18th c. Female menstruation; an episode of this.
• from 18th c. The set of symptoms associated with menstruation, even if not accompanied by menstruation; an episode of these symptoms.
• from 19th c. A section of an artist's, writer's (etc.) career distinguished by a given quality, preoccupation etc.
• from 19th c. Each of the divisions into which a school day is split, allocated to a given subject or activity.
• from 19th c. Each of the intervals, typically three, of which a game is divided.