Etymology Map
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Period

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a length of time; the punctuation mark ending a sentence (US)

Where does the word "period" come from? It comes from Greek periodos, passing through Latin before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
periodos
Greek · ancient
"going around"
'peri', around, plus 'hodos', way: a cycle
2
Stage 2 of 3
periodus
Latin · ancient
"complete sentence"
used in rhetoric for a complete sentence
3
Stage 3 of 3
period
English · 1400s
"a length of time; full stop"
Americans call the full stop a 'period', from the mark ending a sentence
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Read the full story

Period’s story begins in Greek: periodos meant “going around.” 'peri', around, plus 'hodos', way: a cycle. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as periodus. Used in rhetoric for a complete sentence. It reached English by 1400s as period. Americans call the full stop a 'period', from the mark ending a sentence. Today, period means a length of time; the punctuation mark ending a sentence (US).