periodic sentence: Meaning and Definition of

pe'ri•od'ic sen'tence

Pronunciation: (pēr'ē-od'ik, pēr"-), [key]
  1. a sentence that, by leaving the completion of its main clause to the end, produces an effect of suspense, as in Unable to join the others at the dance because of my sprained ankle, I went to a movie. Cf.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.