peripatetic

[ per-uh-puh-tet-ik ]

adjective

1. walking or traveling about; itinerant.

   Synonyms: vagrant, roving, wandering

2. (initial capital letter) of or relating to Aristotle, who taught philosophy while walking in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.
3. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Aristotelian school of philosophy.

noun

1. a person who walks or travels about.
2. (initial capital letter) a member of the Aristotelian school.

Peripatetic

¹

/ ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the teachings of Aristotle, who used to teach philosophy while walking about the Lyceum in ancient Athens

noun

1. a student of Aristotelianism

peripatetic

²

/ ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk /

adjective

1. itinerant
2. employed in two or more educational establishments and travelling from one to another

   a peripatetic football coach

noun

1. a peripatetic person

Derived Forms

• ˌperipaˈtetically, adverb

Other Words From

• peri·pa·teti·cal·ly adverb
• per·i·pa·tet·i·cism [per-, uh, -p, uh, -, tet, -, uh, -siz-, uh, m], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of peripatetic¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin peripatēticus < Greek peripatētikós of Aristotle and his school, literally, walking about, equivalent to peripatē- (verbid stem of peripateîn to walk about, equivalent to peri- peri- + pateîn to walk; akin to path ) + -tikos -tic

Word History and Origins

Origin of peripatetic¹

C16: from Latin peripatēticus, from Greek peripatētikos, from peripatein to pace to and fro

Example Sentences

For many athletes retirement means the end of a career; for the peripatetic Donovan, it’s become an opportunity to try out a whole bunch of new ones.

From Los Angeles Times

But Horn, 68, an intellectually peripatetic Conceptualist, has an innate confidence, which may stem from the fact that she does not feel she fits in anywhere, personally or professionally, and never has.

From New York Times

The release finds the singer a lifetime away from her peripatetic origins.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Serra said his work required a lot of “walking and looking,” or “peripatetic perception.”

From New York Times

It also found 36% of peripatetic teachers of the deaf - who work within a range of settings - are aged 50 or over, and are therefore likely to retire in the next 10 to 15 years.

From BBC

Related Words

• itinerant
• nomadic
• roving