Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
pe·rim·e·ter
\\pə-ˈri-mə-tər\\ noun ETYMOLOGY Middle English perimetre, from Latin perimetros, from Greek, from peri- + metron measure — more at measure
DATE 15th century
1.
a. the boundary of a closed plane figure
b. the length of a perimeter2. a line or strip bounding or protecting an area3. outer limits — often used in plural
4. the part of a basketball court outside the three-point line perimeter
1592, "line around a figure or surface," from L. perimetros, from Gk. perimetros "circumference," from peri-"around" + metron "measure" (see meter (2)). Military sense of "boundary of a defended position" is attested from 1943.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7
perimeterper·im·eter /
pE5rimitE(r) /
noun1. the outside edge of an area of land
(土地的)外缘,边缘:
Guards patrol the perimeter of the estate. 保安人员在庄园四周巡逻。
a perimeter fence / track / wall 围绕四周的栅栏/小径/墙2. (mathematics 数) the total length of the outside edge of an area or a shape
周长⇨ compare
circumference
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English
Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishperimeter
noun
ADJ. inner, outer | northern, southern, etc.
VERB + PERIMETER mark The river marks the eastern perimeter of our land.
PERIMETER + NOUN fence, wall | road, track
PREP. along the ~ I lugged my suitcase along the perimeter of the square. | around/round the ~ We walked round the perimeter of the prison. | inside/outside the ~ They demonstrated just outside the perimeter of the embassy. | on the ~ There's a small shop on the perimeter of the camp.
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged
pe·rim·e·terI. \pəˈriməd.ə(r)\
noun
(
-s)
Usage: often attributiveEtymology: French
périmètre, from Latin
perimetros, from Greek, from
peri- + metron measure — more at
measure
1.
a.
(1) : the boundary of a closed plane figure
< the perimeter of a circle >
(2) : the measure of the boundary of a closed plane figure;
specifically : the sum of the lengths of the line segments forming a polygon
b. : a line or strip bounding or protecting an area
< small cities on the perimeter of the reservation — Zdenek Salzmann >
< digging in behind a barbed-wire perimeter with antitank guns — Barrett McGurn >
< the perimeter of a shopping district >
c. : outer limits
< criticism which attempts to bring to literature insights found outside its perimeter — C.W.Shumaker >
< the perimeter of possible excursions was reduced — André Maurois >
< House of Representatives report described the perimeter of the legislation — U.S. Code >2.
a. : an instrument for examining the discriminative powers of different parts of the retina often consisting of an adjustable semicircular arm with a fixation point for the eye and variable stations for the visual stimuli
b. : a similar instrument used in studying auditory space perception
•
peri·met·ric \|perə|me.trik\
or peri·met·ri·cal \-.trə̇kəl\
adjective
•
peri·met·ri·cal·ly \-.trə̇k(ə)lē\
adverb
•
pe·rim·e·try \pəˈrimə.trē\
noun -esII. adjectiveEtymology: perimeter, noun
: scoring mostly from the perimeter in basketball
< perimeterplayers >also : originating from or centered on the perimeter in basketball
< perimeter shots >
< a perimeter game >III. noun : the part of a basketball court outside the three-point line