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Definition of peripatetic - 5 dictionary results

per⋅i⋅pa⋅tet⋅ic

  [per-uh-puh-tet-ik]
Use peripatetic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. walking or traveling about; itinerant.
2. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to Aristotle, who taught philosophy while walking in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.
3. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Aristotelian school of philosophy.
–noun
4. a person who walks or travels about.
5. (initial capital letter) a member of the Aristotelian school.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L peripatēticus < Gk peripatētikós of Aristotle and his school, lit., walking about, equiv. to peripatē- (verbid s. of peripateîn to walk about, equiv. to peri- peri- + pateîn to walk; akin to path ) + -tikos -tic

Related forms:
per⋅i⋅pa⋅tet⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
per⋅i⋅pa⋅tet⋅i⋅cism  [per-uh-puh-tet-uh-siz-uhm] , noun

Synonyms:
1. wandering, roving; vagrant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To peripatetic
per·i·pa·tet·ic   (pěr'ə-pə-tět'ĭk)   
adj.  
  1. Walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot.
  2. Peripatetic Of or relating to the philosophy or teaching methods of Aristotle, who conducted discussions while walking about in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.
n.  
  1. One who walks from place to place; an itinerant.
  2. Peripatetic A follower of the philosophy of Aristotle; an Aristotelian.

[Middle English peripatetik, from Latin peripatēticus, from Greek peripatētikos, from peripatein, to walk about, or from peripatos, covered walk (where Aristotle allegedly lectured) : peri-, peri- + patein, to walk; see pent- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Peripatetic

Per`i*pa*tet"ic\, a. [L. peripateticus, Gr. ?, fr. ? to walk about; ? about + ? to walk: cf. F. p['e]ripat['e]tique.]

1. Walking about; itinerant.

2. Of or pertaining to the philosophy taught by Aristotle (who gave his instructions while walking in the Lyceum at Athens), or to his followers. "The true peripatetic school." --Howell.

Peripatetic

Per`i*pa*tet"ic\, n. 1. One who walks about; a pedestrian; an itinerant. --Tatler.

2. A disciple of Aristotle; an Aristotelian.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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peripatetic 
c.1400, n., "disciple of Aristotle," from O.Fr. perypatetique (14c.), from L. peripateticus "pertaining to the disciples or philosophy of Aristotle," from Gk. peripatetikos "given to walking about" (especially while teaching), from peripatein, from peri- "around" + patein "to walk." Aristotle's custom was to teach while strolling through the Lyceum in Athens. In Eng., the philosophical meaning is older than that of "person who wanders about" (1617). As an adj., attested in Eng. 1566 in the philosophical sense, 1642 in the lit. sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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