periodic table: Meaning and Definition of

pe'ri•od'ic ta'ble

Pronunciation: (pēr'ē-od'ik, pēr"-), [key]
— Chem. Chem.
  1. a table illustrating the periodic system, in which the chemical elements, formerly arranged in the order of their atomic weights and now according to their atomic numbers, are shown in related groups.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.