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. itinerant

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

   a peripatetic football coach

noun

1. a peripatetic person

Peripatetic

²

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• peripatetically adverb
• peripateticism 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

But sales in those countries have in the main been peripatetic, with many firms only offering tastings or serving it in upmarket restaurants for short periods.

From BBC

From the peripatetic days bouncing around a handful of clubs and juggling six part-time jobs in the amateur women's football era to juggling endorsements galore as a one-person global brand.

From BBC

Far from it: Nadel, a museum curator and comics expert, expresses palpable admiration for Crumb, and sympathy for a peripatetic upbringing that could quietly be as macabre as anything he drew.

From Los Angeles Times

Where “Doc” takes place on the quieter floors of a big city hospital, “The Pitt” — shot with peripatetic handheld cameras — is set in its noisiest part, the emergency room.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Related Words

• itinerant 
• nomadic 
• roving