Peri

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɪə.ɹi/

Definitions

1. A prefix meaning around or enclosing, often used in scientific terminology to denote a surrounding or encompassing aspect
2. A term indicating a relationship to the outer boundaries of a space or region, often employed in various fields like geography and medicine
3. A prefix that signifies an encircling or surrounding quality, frequently found in technical language, particularly in disciplines such as biology and geography

Etymology: Persian "pari" referred to a beautiful supernatural being, a fairy-like spirit, and that is the sense the word carried when it passed into Ottoman Turkish as "پری" and from there into English. The English noun is a borrowing of that fairy sense, so it is a different story from the spatial meaning in the definition you supplied. The spatial sense belongs to a homograph. English "peri-", as in "perimeter" or "perineum," comes from the Greek preposition "peri," meaning "around." That Greek element is unrelated to the Persian word, and the two only look alike by coincidence.

Synonyms: fairy, spirit, sprite, genie, elf