Periegesis

//ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.əˈd͡ʒiː.sɪs// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A description of an area or territory.

    "a periegesis of Greece"

Example

More examples

"Dionysius, a learned geographer, to whom is attributed a Periegeſis, or Survey of the Earth, in Greek verse."

Etymology

Borrowed from Koine Greek περιήγησις (periḗgēsis, “the action of being shown around, as by a guide (chiefly in the titles of works)”), from Ancient Greek περι- (peri-, “around, surrounding”) + ἥγησις (hḗgēsis, “command, leading”) (from ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to lead”) + -σῐς (-sĭs, noun-forming suffix)), from περιηγεῖσθαι (periēgeîsthai, “to lead around”); compare Late Latin periegesis. Cognate with Greek περιήγηση (periígisi, “tour, sightseeing”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.