Word of the Day

: August 15, 2007

peripatetic

adjective pair-uh-puh-TET-ik

What It Means

1 : Aristotelian

2 a : of, relating to, or given to walking

b : moving or traveling from place to place : itinerant

peripatetic in Context

Rodney was a peripatetic journalist for several years until he bought a house and started writing for the local paper.

Did You Know?

Are you someone who likes to think on your feet? If so, you've got something in common with the followers of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Not only a thinker and teacher, Aristotle was also a walker, and his students were required to walk along beside him as he lectured while pacing to and fro. Thus it was that the Greek word "peripatētikos" (from "peripatein," meaning "to walk up and down") came to be associated with Aristotle and his followers. By the way, the covered walk in the Lyceum where Aristotle taught was known as the "peripatos" (which can either refer to the act of walking or a place for walking).

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.