peripatetic

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noun peri·pa·tet·ic \ˌper-ə-pə-ˈte-tik\

Definition of peripatetic

1 capitalized : a follower of Aristotle or adherent of Aristotelianism
2 : pedestrian, itinerant
3 peripateticsplay \ˌper-ə-pə-ˈte-tiks\ plural : movement or journeys hither and thither

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First Known Use of peripatetic

15th century

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

peripatetic

adjective peri·pa·tet·ic

Definition of peripatetic

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

peripatetically

play \ˌper-ə-pə-ˈte-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Peripateticism

play \ˌper-ə-pə-ˈte-tə-ˌsi-zəm\ noun

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Examples of peripatetic in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of peripatetic from the Web

The honor of writing the epilogue went to Dr. Church himself, whose peripatetic prose is challenging, to put it mildly.

— david holahan, USA TODAY, "New book: Will the woolly mammoth roam the earth again?", 3 July 2017
Facing setbacks if not the outright loss of their majority in the House and with a president peripatetic, GOPers are treating this Congress as strictly a smash-and-grab situation.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Trump effect hits Dem primaries, not GOP", 13 June 2017
Tarr started living on the boat after burning out at a previous job and discovering that the peripatetic lifestyle suited him.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "The Nomad Who’s Exploding the Internet Into Pieces", 22 May 2017
At 21, already an avid and peripatetic soap salesman, he was given a share of the business.

— frank fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "Wrigley Field's Philly connection | Frank's Place", 20 May 2017
This peripatetic but thoroughly engrossing survey reveals an artist who has operated for more than 30 years in the gap defined by feminism, painting and popular culture.

— New York Times, "Art and Museums in NYC This Week", 27 Apr. 2017
Picasso's mural, after a peripatetic life around the world, only made its way home in 1981.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "80 years later, the Nazi war crime at Guernica still matters", 26 Apr. 2017
Despite the couple’s peripatetic existence, de Taillac decamps here for summers and holidays and slips into her simple country life of food shopping, cooking, gardening, and hosting friends without missing a beat.

— pilar guzmán, CNT, "Be a Slow Tourist in Gascony, France", 28 Feb. 2017
His peripatetic inability to stay cool is a real danger in the most powerful person in the world.

— Orange County Register, "The first 100 days of Trump", 22 Jan. 2017

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.

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).

Origin and Etymology of peripatetic

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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