pəˈrif(ə)rē, -ri noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle French peripherie, from Late Latin peripheria, from Greek periphereia, from peripherēs moving around (from peripherein to carry around, turn around, from peri- + pherein to carry) + -eia -y — more at bear
1. : the perimeter of a circle, ellipse, or other closed curvilinear figure ; also : the perimeter of a polygonal figure
2. : the external boundary or surface of any body
the periphery of an orange
the periphery of a tire
3.
a. : the outward bounds of something as distinguished from its internal regions or center : encompassing limits : confines
the drift toward the periphery of the great metropolitan districts — Oscar Handlin
the periphery of the retina — F.A.Geldard
the fixed stars at the periphery of the universe were stationary — S.F.Mason
an exploration of the periphery of logic — M.R.Cohen
b. : surrounding space : an area lying beyond the strict limits of a thing
around each of these states was a periphery of mixed populations that made exact boundaries on racial lines hopeless — Herbert Hoover
4. : the regions (as the sense organs, the muscles, and the viscera) in which nerves terminate