Word of the Day

: September 11, 2021

sedentary

adjective SED-un-tair-ee

What It Means

Sedentary describes an activity in which much sitting is involved.

// Editorial work is chiefly sedentary.

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sedentary in Context

"A sedentary lifestyle could increase your levels of exhaustion. Luckily, small changes in your daily life can impact your activity levels for the better. Taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and adding a daily walk can make you feel more energized…." — Maria Loreto, LA Weekly, 9 Aug. 2021

Did You Know?

Sedentary comes from Latin sedēre, meaning "to sit." Other descendants of sedēre include dissident, insidious, preside, reside, and subsidy. Sedēre is also the base of the rare sedens, a noun meaning "a person who remains a resident of the place or region of his or her birth."