period
n. countablen. a specific length of time. It can be a short time like a school lesson or a long time like a century.
n. a length or portion of time of any duration, often marked by specific characteristics or events.
The morning school period starts at nine o'clock.
The country went through a long period of economic growth after the new laws were passed.
Historians often divide the era into distinct periods to better analyze how social norms shifted between the early and late stages of the century.
From Middle English periode, from Middle French periode, from Medieval Latin periodus, from Ancient Greek περίοδος (períodos, “circuit, orbit, a recurring interval of time, path around”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) + ὁδός (hodós, “way”). Displaced native Middle English tide (“interval, period, season”), from Old English tīd (“time, period, season”), as well as Middle English elde (“age, period”), from Old English ieldu (“age, period of time”).
Commonly used with 'of' to specify the duration or nature of the time, such as 'a period of six months' or 'a period of transition'.
during a long period timeduring a long period of timeWhen using 'period' to describe a span of time, it must be followed by the preposition 'of' before the word 'time'.