1 peripatetic | Definition of peripatetic

peripatetic

noun
peri·​pa·​tet·​ic | \ ËŒper-É™-pÉ™-ˈte-tik How to pronounce peripatetic (audio) \

Definition of peripatetic

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 capitalized : a follower of Aristotle or adherent of Aristotelianism
3 peripatetics\ ËŒper-​É™-​pÉ™-​ˈte-​tiks How to pronounce peripatetics (audio)\ plural : movement or journeys hither and thither

peripatetic

adjective

Definition of peripatetic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 capitalized : aristotelian
2a : of, relating to, or given to walking
b : moving or traveling from place to place : itinerant

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from peripatetic

Adjective

peripatetically \ ËŒper-​É™-​pÉ™-​ˈte-​ti-​k(É™-​)lÄ“ How to pronounce peripatetically (audio) \ adverb
Peripateticism \ ËŒper-​É™-​pÉ™-​ˈte-​tÉ™-​ËŒsi-​zÉ™m How to pronounce Peripateticism (audio) \ noun

Did You Know?

Adjective

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).

Examples of peripatetic in a Sentence

Adjective

She worked as a peripatetic journalist for most of her life. He had a peripatetic career as a salesman.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Power’s early years exemplified the peripatetic privilege of the global bourgeoisie. Daniel Bessner, The New Republic, "The Fog of Intervention," 4 Sep. 2019 Webb senior was almost pathologically peripatetic, moving the family from tiny town to tiny town. Longreads, "The Story of Country Music’s Great Songwriting Duo," 3 Sep. 2019 His shouted instructions punch their way into the late-summer sunshine, staccato bursts whose pugilistic edge seems even heavier thanks to the New York tinge that decades of a peripatetic coaching life cannot rob from his voice. Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston’s winning ways drew Bruce Arena, and he has put the Revolution in the conversation," 29 Aug. 2019 McAfee, 32, has had a peripatetic media career since opting out of his deal with the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, forfeiting close to $6 million on his five-year contract. Marisa Guthrie, The Hollywood Reporter, "Former NFL Star Pat McAfee Lands Daily Show on DAZN and Westwood One (Exclusive)," 7 Aug. 2019 About twelve hundred objects, cunningly arrayed, document the life and work of Szeemann’s paternal grandfather, Étienne, who was a hairdresser with a peripatetic career in Europe. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "Harald Szeemann’s Revolutionary Curating," 15 July 2019 Like Reynolds, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton speaks with a twang and hails from Missouri (one of several states Reynolds lived in during a peripatetic childhood). Keith Phipps, The Verge, "Before you see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, watch Smokey and the Bandit," 26 July 2019 In Haddon’s telling, this peripatetic prince is Odysseus, Robin Hood and MacGyver rolled into one tower of awesomeness: a humble, troubled superhero whom every heartthrob in Hollywood should be lining up to play. Ron Charles Critic, Washington Post, "Mark Haddon’s ‘The Porpoise’ sounds like homework. It’s actually fantastic.," 11 June 2019 Paul Erdős, the famously eccentric, peripatetic and prolific 20th-century mathematician, was fond of the idea that God has a celestial volume containing the perfect proof of every mathematical theorem. Quanta Magazine, "In Search of God’s Perfect Proofs," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peripatetic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of peripatetic

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for peripatetic

Adjective

Middle French & Latin; Middle French peripatetique, from Latin peripateticus, from Greek peripatētikos, from peripatein to walk up and down, discourse while pacing (as did Aristotle), from peri- + patein to tread; akin to Sanskrit patha path — more at find

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for peripatetic

peripatetic

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of peripatetic

formal : going from place to place usually as part of your job

More from Merriam-Webster on peripatetic

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with peripatetic

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for peripatetic

Nglish: Translation of peripatetic for Spanish Speakers