| Library / English Dictionary |
PERIPHERAL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Electronic equipment external to the circuit board that contains the CPU of a computer
Example:
disk drives and printers are important peripherals
Synonyms:
computer peripheral; peripheral; peripheral device
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("peripheral" is a kind of...):
electronic equipment (equipment that involves the controlled conduction of electrons (especially in a gas or vacuum or semiconductor))
Domain category:
computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "peripheral"):
data input device; input device (a device that can be used to insert data into a computer or other computational device)
output device (electronic or electromechanical equipment connected to a computer and used to transfer data out of the computer in the form of text, images, sounds, or other media)
printer ((computer science) an output device that prints the results of data processing)
Holonyms ("peripheral" is a part of...):
computer; computing device; computing machine; data processor; electronic computer; information processing system (a machine for performing calculations automatically)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
On or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary; the outer area
Example:
peripheral suburbs
Classified under:
Similar:
circumferential (lying around or just outside the edges or outskirts)
fringy; marginal (at or constituting a border or edge)
encircling; skirting (being all around the edges; enclosing)
off-base (located outside a military base)
Antonym:
central (in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area)
Derivation:
periphery (the outside boundary or surface of something)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Related to the key issue but not of central importance
Example:
peripheral issues
Classified under:
Similar:
incident; incidental ((sometimes followed by 'to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence)
Context examples:
Together, these two readings indicated higher levels of stiffness in both peripheral arteries in the extremities, as well as in central arteries, tied to higher sodium consumption.
(Too Much Salt? Unhealthy Blood Vessels Changes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Methylnaltrexone is a type of peripheral opioid receptor antagonist.
(Methylnaltrexone, NCI Dictionary)
A preparation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) transduced with a retroviral vector encoding a T cell chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for mesothelin with potential immunostimulatory and antineoplastic activities.
(Mesothelin-specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor-engineered Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes, NCI Thesaurus)
The physical association of each protein is divided into two classes: integral and peripheral.
(Membrane Protein, NCI Thesaurus)
The single primary branch bifurcates sending a peripheral process to carry sensory information from the periphery and a central branch which relays that information to the spinal cord or brain.
(Murine Dorsal Root Ganglion, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
It is characterized by the systemic proliferation of NK cells in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, liver, and spleen.
(Aggressive NK-Cell Leukemia, NCI Thesaurus)
This agent also blocks alpha-1-adrenergic receptors in peripheral vascular smooth muscle, which leads to vasodilatation and a subsequent decrease in peripheral vascular resistance.
(Alfuzosin, NCI Thesaurus)
This agent also blocks alpha-1-adrenoreceptors in peripheral vascular smooth muscle, resulting in vasodilatation and a decrease in peripheral vascular resistance.
(Alfuzosin Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)
Methylnaltrexone displaces opioids from peripheral opioid receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, the bladder, and the skin, resulting in decreases in opioid-related constipation, urinary retention, and pruritis, respectively.
(Methylnaltrexone, NCI Thesaurus)
Other signs and symptoms include anemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatomegaly, peripheral neuropathy and pleural effusions.
(Multicentric Angiofollicular Lymphoid Hyperplasia, NCI Thesaurus)
