περιφερής

Forms

περιφερής (peripherḗs) m or f (neuter περιφερές); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek περιφέρω (periphérō, “to carry round”) + -ής (-ḗs), with the suffix of adjectives in -ής.^[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest examples are from the 5th century BC.^[4] Euripides uses it of a palace surrounded by cornices and of wavering steps, and the comic poet Hermippus of the year, which goes round and has neither end nor beginning.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “revolving” soon gave way to “rounded”.^[5] The Hippocratic writers and Democritus use it of curved and spherical shapes.^[5] Plato opposes it to εὐθύς (euthús) “straight”, uses the neuter for the circumference of a circle, and calls the earth spherical in the Phaedo, and Aristotle uses it of the shape of the earth.^[5][2] Xenophon uses it of the round build of a hound or a hare and of an animal's winding tracks, and Polybius of round countries and shields.^[2] Dionysius of Halicarnassus applied it to a rounded prose style.^[5] In the Septuagint the neuter means “circumference” in Ezekiel.^[6]

Medieval vernacular Greek kept it as a learned word meaning “circular, round”.^[7] Modern Greek has περιφερής (periferís), an archaic word meaning “circular”, from the ancient adjective.^[8][3]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Euripides uses it of a palace surrounded by cornices and of wavering steps.^[5][2]
• 5th century BC – Hermippus uses it of the year, which revolves without end.^[5]
• 5th century BC – Democritus and the Hippocratic writers use it of rounded and spherical shapes.^[5]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato opposes it to “straight” and uses the neuter for the circumference of a circle.^[5][2]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle calls the shape of the earth spherical.^[5]
• 1st century BC – Dionysius of Halicarnassus applies it to a rounded style.^[5]
• 2nd century AD – Lucian uses it of rolling eyes.^[5]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular Greek uses it as a learned word for “circular”.^[7]
• Modern Greek – περιφερής (periferís) survives as an archaic word for “circular”.^[8][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Revolving, going round; of eyes, rolling.^[5]
2. Rounded, curved, circular, the opposite of straight; neuter as a noun, circularity, or the circumference of a circle.^[5][2]
3. Spherical, globular; of roofs, domed.^[5][2]
4. (rhetoric) Of style, rounded.^[5]
5. Surrounded by something (with the dative).^[5][2]
6. Winding, wavering; of steps and tracks.^[5][2]

Related words

• περιφέρω (periphérō)
• περιφέρεια (periphéreia)

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c Τεγόπουλος, Γ.; Φυτράκης, Ε. (1997), Μείζον Ελληνικό Λεξικό, Athens: Αρμονία
4. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
7. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b Ακαδημία Αθηνών (2014), Χρηστικό Λεξικό της Νεοελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Academy of Athens