Periphery noun ; plural Peripheries . [ Latin peripheria , Greek ...; ... around + ... to bear, carry: confer French périphérie .]
1. The outside or superficial portions of a body; the surface.

2. (Geom.) The circumference of a circle, ellipse, or other figure.

Periphrase noun [ Latin periphrasis , Greek ..., from ... to think about, to be expressed periphrastically; ... + ... to speak: confer French périphrase . See Phrase .] (Rhet.) The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution. "To describe by enigmatic periphrases ." De Quincey.

Periphrase transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Periphrased ; present participle & verbal noun Periphrasing .] [ Confer French périphraser .] To express by periphrase or circumlocution.

Periphrase intransitive verb To use circumlocution.

Periphrasis noun ; plural Periphrases . [ Latin ] See Periphrase .

Periphrastic, Periphrastical adjective [ Greek ...: confer French périphrastique .] Expressing, or expressed, in more words than are necessary; characterized by periphrase; circumlocutory.

Periphrastic conjugation (Gram.) , a conjugation formed by the use of the simple verb with one or more auxiliaries.

Periphrastically adverb With circumlocution.

Periplast noun [ Prefix peri- + Greek ... to mold, form.] (Biol.) Same as Periblast . -- Per`i*plas"tic adjective Huxley.

Peripneumonia, Peripneumony noun [ Latin peripneumonia , Greek ...: confer French péripneumonie . See Peri- , Pneumonia .] (Medicine) Pneumonia. (Obsoles.)

Peripneumonic adjective [ Latin peripneumonicus , Greek ...: confer French péripneumonique .] (Medicine) Of or pertaining to peripneumonia.

Periproct noun [ Prefix peri- + Greek ... the anus.] (Zoology) The region surrounding the anus, particularly of echinoderms.

Periproctitis noun [ New Latin See Peri- , and Proctitus .] (Medicine) Inflammation of the tissues about the rectum.

Peripteral adjective [ Greek , from ... + ... feather, wing, row of columns.] (Architecture) Having columns on all sides; -- said of an edifice. See Apteral .

Peripterous adjective
1. (Architecture) Peripteral.

2. (Zoology) Feathered all around.

Periptery noun [ Greek ... flying round about.] The region surrounding a moving body, such as the wing of a bird or a gliding aëroplane, within which cyclic or vortical motion of the air occur.

Perique noun [ Louisiana French] A kind of tobacco with medium-sized leaf, small stem, tough and gummy fiber, raised in Louisiana, and cured in its own juices, so as to be very dark colored, usually black. It is marketed in tightly wrapped rolls called carottes.

Perisarc noun [ Prefix peri- + Greek ..., ..., flesh.] (Zoology) The outer, hardened integument which covers most hydroids.

Periscian adjective [ Greek ...; ... around + ... shadow: confer French périscien .] Having the shadow moving all around.

Periscians Pe*ris"ci*i noun plural [ New Latin See Periscian .] Those who live within a polar circle, whose shadows, during some summer days, will move entirely round, falling toward every point of the compass.

Periscope noun [ Prefix peri- + -scope .] A general or comprehensive view. [ R.]

Periscopic adjective [ Confer French périscopique .] Viewing all around, or on all sides.

Periscopic spectacles (Opt.) , spectacles having concavo-convex or convexo-concave lenses with a considerable curvature corresponding to that of the eye, to increase the distinctness of objects viewed obliquely.

Perish intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Perished ; present participle & verbal noun Perishing .] [ Middle English perissen , perisshen , French périr , present participle périssant , Latin perire to go or run through, come to nothing, perish; per through + ire to go. Confer Issue , and see -ish .] To be destroyed; to pass away; to become nothing; to be lost; to die; hence, to wither; to waste away.

I perish with hunger!

Luke xv. 17.

Grow up and perish , as the summer fly.

Milton.

The thoughts of a soul that perish in thinking.

Locke.

Perish transitive verb To cause perish. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

Perishability noun Perishableness.

Perishable adjective [ French périssable .] Liable to perish; subject to decay, destruction, or death; as, perishable goods; our perishable bodies.

Perishableness noun The quality or state of being perishable; liability to decay or destruction. Locke.

Perishably adverb In a perishable degree or manner.

Perishment noun [ Confer Old French perissement .] The act of perishing. [ R.] Udall.

Perisoma noun ; plural Perisomata . [ New Latin ] (Zoology) Same as Perisome .

Perisome noun [ Prefix peri- + -some body.] (Zoology) The entire covering of an invertebrate animal, as echinoderm or cœlenterate; the integument.

Perisperm noun [ French périsperme . See Peri- , and Sperm .] (Botany) The albumen of a seed, especially that portion which is formed outside of the embryo sac. -- Per`i*sper"mic adjective

Perispheric, Perispherical adjective Exactly spherical; globular.

Perispomenon noun ; plural Perispomena . [ New Latin , from Greek ..., pr. pass. p. of ... to draw around, to circumflex; ... around + ... to draw.] (Gr. Gram.) A word which has the circumflex accent on the last syllable. Goodwin.

Perispore noun (Botany) The outer covering of a spore.

Perissad adjective [ Greek ... odd, from ... over.] (Chemistry) Odd; not even; -- said of elementary substances and of radicals whose valence is not divisible by two without a remainder. Contrasted with artiad .

Perisse intransitive verb To perish. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Perissodactyl noun (Zoology) One of the Perissodactyla.

Perissodactyla noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... odd (fr. ... over) + ... finger.] (Zoology) A division of ungulate mammals, including those that have an odd number of toes, as the horse, tapir, and rhinoceros; -- opposed to Artiodactyla .

Perissological adjective [ Confer French périssologique .] Redundant or excessive in words. [ R.]

Perissology noun [ Latin perissologia , Greek ...; ... odd, superfluous + ... discourse.] Superfluity of words. [ R.] G. Campbell.

Peristalsis noun [ New Latin See Peristaltic .] (Physiol.) Peristaltic contraction or action.

Peristaltic adjective [ Greek ... clasping and compressing, from ... to surround, wrap up; ... round + ... to place, arrange: confer French péristaltique .] (Physiol.) Applied to the peculiar wormlike wave motion of the intestines and other similar structures, produced by the successive contraction of the muscular fibers of their walls, forcing their contents onwards; as, peristaltic movement. -- Per`i*stal"tic*al*ly adverb

Peristeria noun [ New Latin See Peristerion .] (Botany) A genus of orchidaceous plants. See Dove plant .

Peristerion noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... a dovecote, a kind of verbena, from ... a dove, pigeon; confer Latin peristereon .] (Botany) The herb vervain ( Verbena officinalis ).

Peristerite noun [ Greek ... a pigeon.] (Min.) A variety of albite, whitish and slightly iridescent like a pigeon's neck.

Peristeromorphous adjective [ Greek ... a pigeon + -morphous .] (Zoology) Like or pertaining to the pigeons or Columbæ.

Peristeropodous adjective [ Greek ... a pigeon + ..., ..., foot.] (Zoology) Having pigeonlike feet; -- said of those gallinaceous birds that rest on all four toes, as the curassows and megapods.

Peristole noun [ New Latin : confer French péristole . See Peristaltic .] (Physiol.) Peristaltic action, especially of the intestines.

Peristoma noun ; plural Peristomata . [ New Latin ] Same as Peristome .

Peristome noun [ Prefix peri- + Greek ..., ..., mouth.]
1. (Botany) The fringe of teeth around the orifice of the capsule of mosses. It consists of 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 teeth, and may be either single or double.

2. (Zoology) (a) The lip, or edge of the aperture, of a spiral shell. (b) The membrane surrounding the mouth of an invertebrate animal.