periplus
/ˈpɛɹɪˌplʌs/
"periplus" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“periplus” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An account of a voyage, particularly those of Hanno and Arrian, recording ports and coastal landmarks.
Corpus desk
Index EN-periplus · periplus · English
periplus · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | periplus |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɛɹɪˌplʌs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “periplus” in English
Rare enough to double-check
periplus is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛɹɪˌplʌs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for periplus in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin periplūs (“account of a voyage”) and Ancient Greek περίπλους (períplous, “voyage, naval manouver, account of a voyage”), from περί (perí, “peri-: around”) + πλοῦς (ploûs, “voyage”), from πλεῖν (pleîn, “to swim”). Cf. French périple, Spanish perip… The correct English form is periplus, spelled P-E-R-I-P-L-U-S.
Definition
- 1An account of a voyage, particularly those of Hanno and Arrian, recording ports and coastal landmarks.
- 2A voyage along a coast.
- 3Synonym of circuit: the path or distance around a coast.
- 4Synonym of circumnavigation: a voyage around an island or the world.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how periplus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Then follows a Periplus of the Euxine-Sea, which bears the name of Arrian, and was undoubtedly written by him in the time of Adrian, as the inſcription ſhews.
The Periplûs of the Erythrêan Sea is the title prefixed to a work which contains the beſt account of the commerce carried on from the Red Sea and the coaſt of Africa to the Eaſt Indies, during the time that Egypt was a province of the Roman Empire.
Etymology
From Latin periplūs (“account of a voyage”) and Ancient Greek περίπλους (períplous, “voyage, naval manouver, account of a voyage”), from περί (perí, “peri-: around”) + πλοῦς (ploûs, “voyage”), from πλεῖν (pleîn, “to swim”). Cf. French périple, Spanish periplo, & Italian periplo.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.