period

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. second, minute, hour; day, week, month; quarter, year, decade; lifetime, generation, time; century, age, millennium, era, epoch; [full] stop or pause, sentence; menstruation, monthlies, friend[s] (sl.), the curse (sl.). See end, regularity.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A measure of time]

Syn. epoch, time, era, age, eon, interval, duration, term, span, time span, stretch, spell, space, stage, years, days, season, phase, session, while; see also age 3 .

2. [An end]

Syn. limit, conclusion, close; see end 2 .

3. [A mark of punctuation]

Syn. point, full stop, full pause, dot, ending-pitch; see also punctuation .

Syn.- period is the general term for any portion of time; epoch and era are often used interchangeably to refer to a period marked by radical change, noteworthy developments, etc. [ an era , or epoch , of Great discoveries ] , but epoch may specifically apply to the beginning of such a New period [ the steam engine marked an epoch in transportation ] , while era applies only to the entire period; age is applied to a period identified with some dominant personality or distinctive characteristic [ the Stone Age] ; eon refers to an indefinitely long period [ it all happened eons ago ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

time, interval, span, epoch, age, eon, era, days, season, course.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. A specific length of time characterized by the occurrence of certain conditions or events: season, span, stretch, term. See TIME. 2. A particular time notable for its distinctive characteristics: age, day, epoch, era, time (often used in plural). See TIME. 3. An interval regarded as a distinct evolutionary or developmental unit: phase, stage. See TIME. 4. A span designated for a given activity: season, time. See TIME. 5. A concluding or terminating: cease, cessation, close, closing, closure, completion, conclusion, consummation, end, ending, end of the line, finish, stop, stopping point, termination, terminus, wind-up, wrap-up. See CONTINUE.