antiperiodic
|an-ti-pe-ri-od-ic|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.pəˈrɑ.dɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.pəˈrɒ.dɪk/
sign reverses every period
Etymology
'antiperiodic' originates from modern English as a compound of the prefix 'anti-' and the adjective 'periodic'. The prefix 'anti-' ultimately comes from Greek 'antí' meaning 'against' or 'opposite', while 'periodic' comes via Latin 'periodicus' from Greek 'periodikos', where 'peri-' meant 'around' and 'hodos' meant 'way' or 'course'.
'antiperiodic' was formed in Modern English by combining 'anti-' + 'periodic'. The element 'periodic' entered English from Late Latin 'periodicus', from Greek 'periodikos' (from 'periodos'), and 'anti-' was borrowed from Greek as a productive prefix; these elements combined into the English technical term 'antiperiodic'.
Originally the parts meant simply 'opposite of periodic' (anti- + periodic). Over time, in technical usage (especially in mathematics and physics) the compound acquired the precise meaning 'periodic with sign inversion after one period' used for functions and boundary conditions.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
(mathematics, physics) Describing a function or boundary condition such that f(x+T) = −f(x) for some period T; i.e., the function repeats with a sign inversion after one period.
The solution is antiperiodic: ψ(x+L) = −ψ(x) for all x.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/06 13:02