# periodic

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌpɪɹiˈɒdɪk/ · frequency rank #12,473

## Definitions
1. Relative to a period or periods.
2. Having repeated cycles.
3. Occurring at regular intervals.
4. Periodical.
5. Pertaining to the revolution of a celestial object in its orbit.
6. For which any return to it must occur in multiples of k time steps, for some k>1.
7. Having a structure characterized by periodic sentences.

## Etymology
From French périodique, from Medieval Latin periodicus (“cyclical”), from Latin periodus (“complete sentence, period, circuit”), from Ancient Greek περίοδος (períodos, “cycle, period of time”). By surface analysis, period + -ic.

## Easily confused with
- **periodical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/periodic-vs-periodical)
- **period** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/period-vs-periodic)

## Common misspellings (11)
`epriodic`, `peirodic`, `peridoic`, `periodci`, `perioddic`, `periodicc`, `perioidc`, `peroidic`, `perriodic`, `pperiodic`, `preiodic`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/periodic