periodical

/ˌˈpɪriˌɑdəkəl/

/piriˈɒdɪkəl/

Other forms: periodicals

If your weekend ritual includes reading the Sunday paper from front to back and then comparing stories in the latest celebrity gossip magazines, you appreciate periodicals, publications that come out on a regular basis.

The word periodical is related to period, as in a certain length of time. Periodicals are published with regular lengths of time between issues and are described by that length of time, whether it's daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual. They may be meant for a general audience like the ones you find on the magazine stand in the airport, or they may be more specialized for readers with specific interests, such as The Journal of the Society for Penguin Appreciation or Window Washer Gazette.

Definitions of periodical

1. adjective

   happening or recurring at regular intervals
   synonyms: periodic

   cyclic

   marked by repeated cycles

   oscillating, oscillatory

   having periodic vibrations

   diurnal

   having a daily cycle or occurring every day

   daily, day-after-day, day-by-day, day-to-day

   of or belonging to or occurring every day

   nightly

   happening every night

   hebdomadal, hebdomadary, weekly

   of or occurring every seven days

   biweekly, semiweekly

   occurring twice a week

   hourly

   occurring every hour or payable by the hour

   half-hourly

   occurring every half hour

   biweekly, fortnightly

   occurring every two weeks

   annual, yearly

   occurring or payable every year

   biannual, biyearly, half-yearly, semiannual

   occurring or payable twice each year

   biennial, biyearly

   occurring every second year

   triennial

   occurring every third year or lasting three years

   monthly

   of or occurring or payable every month

   bimestrial, bimonthly

   occurring every two months

   bimonthly, semimonthly

   occurring twice a month

   semestral, semestrial

   occurring every six months or during every period of six months

   midweekly

   occurring during the middle of the week
2. noun

   a publication that appears at fixed intervals
   types:

   digest

   a periodical that summarizes the news

   pictorial

   a periodical (magazine or newspaper) containing many pictures

   serial, serial publication, series

   a periodical that appears at scheduled times

   organ

   a periodical that is published by a special interest group

   issue, number

   one of a series published periodically

   journal

   a periodical dedicated to a particular subject

   review

   a periodical that publishes critical essays on current affairs or literature or art

   semiweekly

   a periodical that is published twice each week (or 104 issues per year)

   weekly

   a periodical that is published every week (or 52 issues per year)

   semimonthly

   a periodical that is published twice each month (or 24 issues per year)

   monthly

   a periodical that is published every month (or 12 issues per year)

   quarterly

   a periodical that is published every quarter (or four issues per year)

   bimonthly

   a periodical that is published twice a month or every two months (either 24 or 6 issues per year)

   biweekly

   a periodical that is published twice a week or every two weeks (either 104 or 26 issues per year)

   house organ

   a periodical published by a business firm for its employees and customers

   edition

   an issue of a newspaper

   annals

   reports of the work of a society or learned body etc

   literary review

   a review devoted to literary criticism

   type of:

   publication

   a copy of a printed work offered for distribution