periodic law: Meaning and Definition of

pe'ri•od'ic law'

Pronunciation: (pēr'ē-od'ik, pēr"-), [key]
— Chem. Chem.
  1. the law that the properties of the elements are periodic functions of their atomic numbers.
  2. Also called(originally) the statement that the chemical and physical properties of the elements recur periodically when the elements are arranged in the order of their atomic weights.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.