quasiperiodic

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   physics and mathematics: combining two or more incommensurate periods, so that a pattern recurs without repeating after one fixed interval

   The system follows a quasiperiodic orbit driven by two unrelated frequencies.

2. 2
   adj

   recurring approximately but not at strictly regular intervals

   The star showed quasiperiodic changes in brightness rather than a perfectly regular cycle.

Formed from quasi- + periodic. Quasi- is a learned borrowing from Latin quasi ("as if, almost"). In mathematics and physics, the compound became more precise than "almost periodic": it often describes motion built from periods whose ratio is irrational, so no single period repeats the whole pattern.

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