periphery

UK/pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/US/pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #11,870 of 15,258mostly written

Other forms: peripheries

The periphery is the outer edge of an area or a subject. On the periphery, pushed to the periphery, the periphery of the city.

The figurative use is the commoner: to be on the periphery of something is to be involved without being central. In vision, peripheral sight is what the edge of the eye catches, and it is much better at movement than at detail.

Definitions of periphery

1nounperipheryThe outer edge of an area or a subject.C1
“New houses are being built on the periphery of the city.”

periphery is an edge.

Where it comes from

Greek periphereia means a carrying around, from peri, around, plus pherein, to carry.

Middle French
peripherie
English, today
periphery

Borrowed from Middle French peripherie. Middle French peripherie. Compare Middle English periferie (“one of three layers of atmosphere (lower, middle, and upper) believed to surround the Earth”), from the same origin, although the Modern English term most likely does not descend from it.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

periphery in the wild

In world-systems theory, periphery countries are those that are less developed than the semi-periphery and core countries.
Periphery countries
Semi-periphery regions play a major role in mediating economic, political, and social activities that link core and peripheral areas.
Semi-periphery countries
Semi-periphery is, however, more than a description, as it also serves as a position within the world hierarchy in which social and economic change can be interpreted.
Semi-periphery countries

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the peripherie family

peripheral periphery

periphery — used about once every 10,786 pages · #11,870 · point at the bar for the others

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