periodický

Periodická is a feminine singular adjective used in Czech and Slovak to mean periodic or relating to a period. It derives from the noun perioda or period, and is part of a broader set of terms describing regular recurrence or segmentation into distinct periods. In grammar, periodická modifies feminine nouns; the corresponding masculine form is periodický and the neuter form is periodické.

Etymology traces periodická to Latin periodus and Greek periodos, reaching Slavic languages through scientific and mathematical terminology. The term is common in technical and academic language, where precision about repetition or division into periods is important.

In mathematics and science, periodická is used in phrases such as periodická funkce (periodic function), describing functions with a nonzero period T satisfying f(x+T) = f(x). In chemistry and the natural sciences, it appears in references to the periodic table of elements: in Czech, periodická tabulka prvků; in Slovak, periodická tabuľka prvkov. The concept underlines the organization of elements into periods (rows) and groups (columns) and the recurring properties of elements within those rows.

Beyond formal terminology, periodická can describe any phenomenon that repeats after regular intervals, such as periodic processes in physics or biology (for example, biological circadian rhythms) and other contexts where patterns recur over time.

See also: periodic, period, periodic table, periodization.