Periode

See also: periode, période, and període

German

Etymology

15th century as Periodus m or f, a learned borrowing from Latin periodus f, at first in the grammatical sense. The semantic development as well as the form in -e (17th c.) likely under influence of French période.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /peˈri̯oːdə/, [pe.ʁiˈoː.də], (less often) [pɛɐ̯ˈjoː.də]
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)

Noun

Periode f (genitive Periode, plural Perioden)

  1. (biology) period, menstruation
    Synonyms: (more formal) Menstruation, (Monats-)Regel, Monatsblutung, Regelblutung, (informal) Tage, (medical) Menses
  2. (higher register) period (length of time with start and end point)
    Synonyms: Zeitraum, Phase, (Zeit-)Abschnitt, (Zeit-)Spanne; Intervall, Stadium; (history) Zeitalter, Epoche, Ära
  3. (grammar, rhetoric) period (lengthy but well formed sentence)

Usage notes

  • Periode in the sense of “menstruation”, though not necessarily the most frequent word altogether, is the most register-neutral, i.e. that which can be used in any context without sounding strange.

Declension

Declension of Periode [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Periode die Perioden
genitive einer der Periode der Perioden
dative einer der Periode den Perioden
accusative eine die Periode die Perioden

Hyponyms

  • Abrechnungsperiode
  • Amtsperiode
  • Gesetzgebungsperiode
  • Heizperiode
  • Hitzeperiode
  • Kälteperiode
  • Lallperiode
  • Legislaturperiode
  • Maximalperiode
  • Minimalperiode
  • Schaffensperiode
  • Schlammperiode
  • Schlechtwetterperiode
  • Schönwetterperiode
  • Sprachperiode
  • Tauwetterperiode
  • Trockenperiode
  • Wahlperiode
  • Wischperiode

Derived terms

  • periodenartig

Further reading

  • “Periode” in Duden online
  • “Periode”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎[1] (in German)