gregarious

gregarious (ɡrɪˈɡɛərɪəs)

—*adj*
1.	enjoying the company of others
2.	Compare solitary (of animals) living together in herds or flocks
3.	(of plants) growing close together but not in dense clusters
4.	of, relating to, or characteristic of crowds or communities

[C17: from Latin gregārius belonging to a flock, from grex flock]

gre'gariously

—*adv*

gre'gariousness

—n

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

gregarious

1668, "living in flocks" (of animals), from L. gregarius, from grex (gen. gregis) "flock, herd," reduplication of PIE base *gere- "to gather together, assemble" (cf. Gk. ageirein "to assemble," agora "assembly;" O.C.S. grusti "handful;" Lith. gurgulys "chaos, confusion, gurguole "crowd, mass"). Sense

of "sociable" first recorded 1789.

Example sentences

For a shy man, his gregarious generosity of spirit was remarkable.

Less gregarious than other nuthatches, the white-breasted nuthatch is typically

seen singly or in pairs.

These gregarious nesters, whose eggs are gathered in a big nursery, cannot

profit by any concealing coloration of the eggs.

They are considered quite gregarious, often schooling in large groups and with

other dolphin species, such as spotted dolphins.

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Matching Quote

"The metaphor of the king as the shepherd of his people goes back to ancient Egypt. Perhaps the use of this particular convention is due to the fact that, being stupid, affectionate, gregarious, and easily stampeded, the societies formed by sheep are most like human ones."

-Northrop Frye