# periphery

> English word · Noun · IPA /pəˈɹɪf.ə.ɹi/ · frequency rank #19,661

## Definitions
1. The outside boundary, parts or surface of something.
2. A first-rank administrative division of Greece, subdivided into provinces.
3. The more anomalous and infrequent aspects of a language, as opposed to the frequent and regular core aspects.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *per-der.
Ancient Greek περί (perí)
Ancient Greek περῐ- (perĭ-)
Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-
Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti
Proto-Hellenic *pʰérō
Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō)
Ancient Greek περιφέρω (periphérō)
Proto-Indo-European *-os
Proto-Indo-European *-ēs
Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs)
Ancient Greek περιφερής (peripherḗs)
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂der.
Ancient Greek -ια (-ia)
Ancient Greek περιφέρεια (periphéreia)bor.
Latin peripheriabor.
Middle French peripheriebor.
English periphery
Borrowed from 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.

## Easily confused with
- **peripheral** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peripheral-vs-periphery)

## Common misspellings (14)
`epriphery`, `peirphery`, `perihpery`, `peripehry`, `peripherry`, `peripheryy`, `peripheyr`, `periphhery`, `periphrey`, `peripphery`, `perpihery`, `perriphery`, `pperiphery`, `preiphery`

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