Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Old French
Origin: periferie, from Late Latin, from Greek, from peripherein 'to carry around'

periphery

 noun
     
pe‧riph‧e‧ry plural peripheries formal
1 [countable usually singular] the edge of an area
periphery of
the periphery of the crowd
on/at the periphery
a residential area on the periphery of the city
➔ outskirts
2

on/at the periphery (of something)

a person or thing that is on the periphery of something is not one of the main people or things involved in it:
extremists on the periphery of the animal rights movement
Homeopathy is on the periphery of medical practice.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary