pe·riph·er·al

[puh-rif-er-uhl]
adjective Also, peripheric (for defs 1–3).
1.
pertaining to, situated in, or constituting the periphery: peripheral resistance on the outskirts of the battle area.
2.
concerned with relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question.
3.
Anatomy. near the surface or outside of; external.
4.
Computers. of or pertaining to a peripheral.
noun
5.
Computers. a device or unit that operates separately from the CPU but is connected to it, as a magnetic disk or tape unit or a printer.
00:10
Peripheral is an SAT word you need to know.
So is pious. Does it mean:
the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, such as tragedy or music
of or pertaining to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular:

Origin:
1800–10; 1965–70 for def 4; < Greek peripher(ḗs) (see periphery) + -al1

pe·riph·er·al·ly, adverb
un·pe·riph·er·al, adjective
un·pe·riph·er·al·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
peripheral (pəˈrɪfərəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  not relating to the most important part of something; incidental, minor, or superficial
2.  of, relating to, or of the nature of a periphery
3.  anatomy of, relating to, or situated near the surface of the body: a peripheral nerve
 
pe'ripherally
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

peripheral
1808, from Gk. peripheres (see periphery).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

peripheral pe·riph·er·al (pə-rĭf'ər-əl)
adj.

  1. Related to, located in, or constituting an outer boundary or periphery.

  2. Perceived or perceiving near the outer edges of the retina.

  3. Of or relating to the surface or outer part of a body or organ; external.

  4. Of, relating to, or being part of the peripheral nervous system.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
peripheral   (pə-rĭf'ər-əl)  Pronunciation Key 
Adjective  
  1. Anatomy Relating to or being the surface or outer part of a body or organ.

  2. Relating to or being part of the peripheral nervous system.


Noun   Computer Science An auxiliary device, such as a printer or modem, distinct from a computer's central processing unit and working memory, and often connected externally.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

peripheral definition


Any part that is separate from a computer's CPU, such as a printer, a keyboard, or a monitor.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

peripheral definition

hardware
(Or "peripheral device", "device") Any part of a computer other than the CPU or working memory, i.e. disks, keyboards, monitors, mice, printers, scanners, tape drives, microphones, speakers, cameras, to list just the less exotic ones.
High speed working memory, such as RAM, ROM or, in the old days, core would not normally be referred to as peripherals. The more modern term "device" is also more general in that it is used for things such as a pseudo-tty, a RAM drive, or a network adaptor.
Some argue that, since the advent of the personal computer, the motherboard, hard disk, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are all parts of the base system, and only use the term "peripheral" for optional additional components.
(2002-09-03)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Example sentences
Greenberg has no patience with peripheral issues.
Another thing to consider is that he's only average at best in peripheral
  categories.
He said he had played a peripheral role in the original purchase.
Focusing on peripheral issues in chemistry takes time away from fundamentals.
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