Word of the Day

: November 9, 2008

sedentary

adjective SED-un-tair-ee

What It Means

1 : not migratory : settled

2 : doing or requiring much sitting

3 : not physically active

4 : permanently attached

sedentary in Context

Jerry worried that he was becoming physically unfit after taking a sedentary desk job.

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."