periodic table

noun

: an arrangement of chemical elements based on the periodic law
periodic table table

Examples of periodic table in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adrian didn’t think that a real physicist would have a poster of the periodic table in his lab, but his doubts had been brushed away. Camille Bordas, New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2025 These ultimate death throes of the Universe’s most massive stars take us all the way up the periodic table. Big Think, 27 Nov. 2025 Rare earths include 17 metallic elements in the periodic table made up of scandium, yttrium and the lanthanides. Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025 Just by glancing at the periodic table, every metal could, in principle, serve as a cornerstone, and countless organic molecules can act as bridges connecting them. Stavroula Alina Kampouri, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for periodic table

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of periodic table was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

“Periodic table.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/periodic%20table. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

periodic table

noun
: an arrangement of chemical elements in order of atomic number that groups elements with common characteristics in the same area of the table

Medical Definition

periodic table

noun
: an arrangement of chemical elements based on the periodic law

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