antiperiodical
|an-ti-pe-ri-od-i-cal|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiː.pəˈrɪ.ə.dɪ.kəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪ.pɪˈrɪə.dɪ.kəl/
(antiperiodic)
sign reverses every period
Etymology
'antiperiodical' is formed in modern English from the prefix 'anti-' (meaning 'against' or 'opposite') + 'periodical' (relating to a period or published periodically).
'periodical' comes from 'period' + adjectival suffix '-al'; 'period' derives from Latin periodus and Greek 'periodos' (περίοδος), where 'peri-' meant 'around' and 'hodos' meant 'way' or 'journey'. The mathematical adjective 'antiperiodic' (anti- + periodic) was extended in some usages to the longer form 'antiperiodical'.
Originally elements of the word referred to 'a recurring cycle' (period); with the prefix 'anti-' it came to mean either 'opposite in cycle' (mathematical sense: repeating with sign inversion) or more generically 'against periodicals' (rare, compositional sense).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having the property of antiperiodicity (mathematics/physics): a function or waveform f is antiperiodical with period T if f(x + T) = -f(x) for all x.
The solution of the boundary-value problem is antiperiodical: u(t + T) = -u(t) for every t.
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Adjective 2
opposed to, critical of, or not conforming to periodicals or periodic publication formats (rare, formed from anti- + periodical).
Her reviews took an antiperiodical stance, rejecting the norms of mainstream serialized magazines.
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Last updated: 2025/11/13 04:34