peripatetic

American  

[per-uh-puh-tet-ik] / ˌpɛr ə pəˈtɛt ɪk /

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.

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noun

1. a person who walks or travels about.

2. (initial capital letter) a member of the Aristotelian school.

peripatetic ¹ British  

/ ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk /

adjective

1. itinerant

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

   a peripatetic football coach

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noun

1. a peripatetic person

Peripatetic ² British  

/ ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk /

adjective

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

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noun

1. a student of Aristotelianism

Other Word Forms

• peripatetically adverb
• peripateticism noun

Etymology

Origin of peripatetic

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

Example Sentences

Over the course of her long and peripatetic life, Carrington never stopped creating, producing hundreds—possibly thousands—of paintings.

From The Wall Street Journal

He accomplished very good things in Oxford and he’s turned his career in a steadier direction after a peripatetic start as a football wunderkind.

From The Wall Street Journal

He draws on the photographer’s diaries and autobiography to portray his subject as a gentle-souled adventurer, driven into a peripatetic life by wanderlust and financial necessity.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Related Words

• itinerant
• nomadic
• roving