Word of the Day

: April 13, 2016

sedentary

adjective SED-un-tair-ee

What It Means

1 : not migratory : settled

2 a : doing or requiring much sitting

b : not physically active

3 : permanently attached

sedentary in Context

Erica much preferred working outside in the fresh air to the sedentary office job she held last summer.

"It's well known that leading a sedentary life is detrimental to long-term health and puts a person at higher risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But research shows that spending more time on the couch and less time being active is also a fast-track to cognitive decline." — Jessica Firger, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2016

Did You Know?

English speakers borrowed sedentary in the late 16th century from Middle French sedentaire, which in turn derives from Latin sedentarius. Sedentarius, which means "of one that sits," is from the present participle of the verb sedēre, meaning "to sit." Other descendants of sedēre in English include dissident, insidious, preside, reside, and subsidy. Sedēre is also the base of the rare word sedens, a noun meaning "a person who remains a resident of the place or region of his birth."