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sedentary

 - 4 dictionary results

sed⋅en⋅tar⋅y

  [sed-n-ter-ee]
Use sedentary in a Sentence
–adjective
1. characterized by or requiring a sitting posture: a sedentary occupation.
2. accustomed to sit or rest a great deal or to take little exercise.
3. Chiefly Zoology.
a. abiding in one place; not migratory.
b. pertaining to animals that move about little or are permanently attached to something, as a barnacle.
Origin:
1590–1600; < L sedentārius sitting, equiv. to sedent- (s. of sedēns, prp. of sedēre to sit 1 ; see -ent ) + -ārius -ary

Related forms:
sed⋅en⋅tar⋅i⋅ly  [sed-n-tair-uh-lee, sed-n-ter-] , adjective
sed⋅en⋅tar⋅i⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To sedentary
sed·en·tar·y   (sěd'n-těr'ē)   
adj.  

  1. Characterized by or requiring much sitting: a sedentary job.

  2. Accustomed to sitting or to taking little exercise.

  3. Remaining or living in one area, as certain birds; not migratory.

  4. Attached to a surface and not moving freely, as a barnacle.


[French sédentaire, from Old French, from Latin sedentārius, from sedēns, sedent-, present participle of sedēre, to sit; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]
sed'en·tar'i·ly (-târ'ə-lē) adv., sed'en·tar'i·ness n.
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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Word Origin & History

sedentary 
1598, "remaining in one place," from M.Fr. sedentaire, from L. sedentarius "sitting, remaining in one place," from sedentem (nom. sedens), prp. of sedere "to sit," from PIE base *sed- "to sit" (cf. Skt. a-sadat "sat down," sidati "sits;" O.Pers. hadis "abode;" Gk. ezesthai "to sit," hedra "seat, chair, face of a geometric solid;" O.Ir. suide "seat, sitting;" Welsh sedd "seat," eistedd "sitting;" O.C.S. sezda, sedeti "to sit;" Lith. sedmi "to sit;" Rus. sad "garden," Lith. soditi "to plant;" Goth. sitan, O.E. sittan "to sit;" see sit). Of persons, meaning "not in the habit of exercise" is recorded from 1662.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sed·en·tary
Pronunciation: 'sed-&n-"ter-E
Function: adjective
: doing or requiring much sitting : characterized by a lack of physical activity sedentary jobs>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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