[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

I'd hate to see what British listeners picture when composers and academics talk about periodic rhythms.

Context is key, as has been said. Chemists talk about the Periodic Table; theatre producers talk about period costume. But the word "period", with no understandable context (and its use as a punctuation mark would be completely meaningless to the average British reader) would bring menstrual cycles to the mind of the average British reader in the absence of any other context.