1. A duration or interval of time
   "a time period of 30 years"; "Picasso's blue period"; "The project was completed over a period of time spanning three months";
   - time period, period of time, time span
    
2. The interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon
   "The period of Earth's rotation is approximately 24 hours"
    
3. A punctuation mark (‘.’) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations
   "In British English, 'full stop' is used instead of 'period'";
   - point, full stop, stop, full point [Brit, rare]
    
4. The monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause
   "Her period was regular and predictable";
   - menstruation, menses, menstruum, catamenia, flow
    
5. A unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed
   "ganoid fishes swarmed during the earlier geological periods";
   - geological period
    
6. (ice hockey) one of three divisions into which play is divided in hockey games
   "They scored two goals in the first period"
    
7. [archaic] The end or completion of something
   "death put a period to his endeavours"; "a change soon put a period to my tranquility"

Derived forms: periods

Type of: discharge, division, emission, end, ending, fundamental measure, fundamental quantity, geologic time, geological time, interval, part, punctuation, punctuation mark [Brit], section, time interval

Part of: era, geological era, period of play, play, playing period

Encyclopedia: Period