| 释义 |
peripheral, a. and n.|pəˈrɪfərəl|
[f. Gr. περιϕερ-ής (see periphery) + -al1.]
A. adj.
1. Of, pertaining to, or situated in, the periphery; constituting or characteristic of the circumference or external surface; esp. in Anat., etc., of the surface or outward part of an organic body, esp. in peripheral neuritis, inflammation of one or more nerves of both sides; and with reference to the circulation, as peripheral resistance. Also fig., marginal, superficial, on the fringe.
1808Barclay Muscular Motions p. xxi, An aspect..towards the circumference of any part, peripheral; and if towards its centre, central. 1845G. E. Day tr. Simon's Anim. Chem. I. 123 The conveyance of arterial blood to the peripheral system. 1872Darwin Emotions i. 35 Reflex actions..are due to the excitement of a peripheral nerve. 1877M. Foster Text Bk. Physiol. i. iv. 92 It is this peripheral resistance (in the minute arteries and capillaries)..which gives the circulation of the blood its peculiar features. 1881Census of Eng. & Wales, Prelim. Rep. p. ix, The increase of population [in London] in the past..decade was entirely peripheral. 1882Vines Sachs' Bot. 876 The ligulate peripheral flowers of Bellis perennis. 1893Ross & Bury Peripheral Neuritis 1 Peripheral neuritis has..a clinical and an anatomical aspect. 1909Jrnl. Physiol. XXXVIII. 237 Peripheral reference is the earliest phenomenon of recovery. 1915W. M. Bayliss Princ. Gen. Physiol. viii. 242 The peripheral resistance of the arterial system, resulting from the division into small arterioles, is due entirely to the internal friction of the blood, not to friction against the walls of the vessels. 1949E. A. Nida Morphol. (ed. 2) 84 A peripheral morpheme never consists of a root and is always structurally ‘outside’ of the nuclear constituent. Ibid., Note, however, that infixes and some replacives are ‘peripheral’ even though they are formally included within the nuclear constituent. 1956D. L. Abramson Diagnosis & Treatm. Peripheral Vascular Disorders p. xiii, The physiology of the peripheral circulation. 1962Lancet 27 Jan. 193/2 Chromosome analysis of peripheral-blood leucocytes grown in tissue culture. 1962Listener 29 Mar. 542/2 We must distinguish between the kinds of conventional forces useful in Europe and those that might be used in the peripheral areas. Ibid. 10 May 825/2 Dr O'Leary mentions it in his conclusion, but it is peripheral to his main interest. 1965M. Morse Unattached i. 44 He said little and was essentially peripheral, mildly amused, and always following. 1972R. Hartenstein Princ. Physiol. ix. 421 Peripheral resistance and the force and rate of cardiac contractions are the major overall factors that determine blood pressure, velocity of flow, and the distribution of blood. 1973Word 1970 XXVI. 101 Discussion of the ultimate phonetic output of /S/ (or /z/) is peripheral to the core of this paper. 1976Vancouver Province 18 June 21/2 Canadian cultural expression will remain peripheral to Canadians—unless we tackle the economics.
2. Computers. Applied to equipment that is used in conjunction with a computer without being an integral or necessary part of it, and to operations involving such equipment.
1956Proc. Eastern Joint Computer Conf. 1955 67/2 An important current trend is toward peripheral equipment with corresponding flexibility. 1962Gloss. Terms Automatic Data Processing (B.S.I.) 25 Peripheral transfer, the process of transferring a block of data between peripheral equipment and a store or between two units of peripheral equipment. 1963A. M. Hilton Logic, Computing Machines, & Automation vi. 256 Electric typewriters and machines to perforate paper tape are among the most widely used items of peripheral equipment, particularly for small computing-machine systems. 1967Times 6 May 17/1 Many vital pieces of equipment that go into a computer installation are not made in Europe. These units, which come under the heading of peripheral equipment, are becoming more and more important. 1970Sci. Amer. Oct. 102 East Germany will probably supply peripheral equipment; Hungary, magnetic memories and software (programs).
B. n. Computers. A peripheral device. Usu. pl.
1966Economist 10 Sept. 1048/1 It just has not got the sort of money needed to develop and market a complete line of data processing equipment and the associated ‘peripherals’. 1970Physics Bull. July 306/2 External storage is made up of a variety of bulk or file storage units of very large capacity, which are operated as peripherals to the central processor. 1971B. de Ferranti Living with Computer 89 To prevent the CPU from slowing to the speed of a peripheral, a buffer may be used so that the peripheral transfers information to the buffer at its own speed while the CPU does other work. 1973T. Allbeury Choice of Enemies xii. 53 Computer peripherals,..the bits and pieces you hang on and plug into computers. 1977D. Bagley Enemy xii. 81 A small computer with a variety of input and output peripherals including an X-Y plotter. |