Standard Lemma guide

perimenopause

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The physiological stage that women approaching menopause go through when, due to hormonal changes, they progress from their usual pattern of menstruation through a phase of atypical menstruation, and finally cease menstruating. Perimenopause ends when a woman has not menstruated for a year.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der. Ancient Greek περῐ́ (perĭ́)der. English peri- Proto-Indo-European *meh1-? Proto-Indo-European *mḗh1n̥s Proto-Hellenic *méns Ancient Greek μήν (mḗn) French méno- Ancient Greek παύω (paúō) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis)der. Latin pausabor. French -pause French ménopause English menopause English perimenopause From peri- (“near”) + menopause. The term has been in use since at least 1931, when it was used in Joseph Bolivar De Lee and Jacob Pearl Greenhill's book, Obstetrics: Gynecology.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 圍絕經期 /围绝经期 (wéijuéjīngqī) — physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause
  • Finnish: perimenopaussi — physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause
  • Finnish: esivaihdevuodet — physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause
  • French: périménopause — physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause
  • Polish: perimenopauza — physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause
  • Portuguese: perimenopausa — physiological stage menstruating women go through when approaching menopause