periodic: Meaning and Definition of

pe•ri•od•ic

Pronunciation: (pēr"ē-od'ik), [key]
— adj.
  1. recurring at intervals of time: periodic revivals of an interest in handicrafts.
  2. occurring or appearing at regular intervals: periodic visits of a mail steamer to an island.
  3. repeated at irregular intervals; intermittent: periodic outbreaks of the disease.
  4. recurring at equal intervals of time.
  5. (of a function) having a graph that repeats after a fixed intervalof the independent variable.
    1. characterized by a series of successive circuits or revolutions, as the motion of a planet or satellite.
    2. of or pertaining to a period, as of the revolution of a heavenly body.
  6. pertaining to or characterized by rhetorical periods, or periodic sentences.

per•i•od•ic

Pronunciation: (pûr"ī-od'ik), [key]
— adj. Chem.
  1. of or derived from a periodic acid.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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