The use of the term "period" to refer to menstruation began in the early 1800s.
While it's difficult to pinpoint the exact moment girls specifically started using the term, understanding the etymology of "period" sheds light on its adoption. The word "period" comes from the Greek words "peri" and "hodos" (periodos), meaning "around" and "way/path," which evolved into the Latin "periodus" meaning "recurring cycle." This sense of a recurring cycle led to its adoption as a euphemism for menstruation.
The documented use of euphemisms for menstruation, including "period," has been found in texts spanning millennia. However, the specific use of "period" in English to describe menstruation started gaining traction in the 19th century. The exact social uptake and when it became common among girls is hard to quantify, as informal language use is rarely formally documented in its early stages.
