peripatetic

See also: Peripatetic

English

WOTD – 18 January 2008

Alternative forms

• peripatetick (obsolete)
• Peripatetic (Aristotelian)

Etymology

From French péripatétique, from Latin peripatēticus, from Ancient Greek περιπατητικός (peripatētikós, “given to walking around”), from περιπατέω (peripatéō, “to walk around”), from περί (perí, “around”) (English peri-)+ πατέω (patéō, “to walk”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛɹ.ɪ.pəˈtɛt.ɪk/, /ˌpɛɹ.ə.pəˈtɛt.ɪk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtɪk

Adjective

peripatetic (comparative more peripatetic, superlative most peripatetic)

1. Tending to walk about.
2. Constantly travelling.

   Synonyms: itinerant, nomadic

   • 2014 March 9, Elizabeth Day, “Is the LRB the best magazine in the world?”, in The Observer‎^[1]:

     After peripatetic upbringing that took her from America to Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium and England, [Mary-Kay] Wilmers read French and Russian at Oxford.

3. (philosophy, usually capitalized) Alternative letter-case form of Peripatetic.
   • 1642, James Howell, Instructions For Foreign Travel:

     The true peripatetic school.

   • 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 75:

     Demetreius of Phalerum, a peripatetic philosopher of the fourth century B.C., wrote an amatory treatise entitled Eroticus - no longer, however, extant.

Derived terms

• peripatetically
• peripateticate
• peripateticism

Translations

walking about; itinerant

• Bulgarian: странстващ (bg) (stranstvašt)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: rondreizend (nl) (1), rondzwervend (nl) (2), peripatetisch (nl), aristotelisch (nl) (3)
• Finnish: vaelteleva, kuljeskeleva (fi)
• French: péripatétique (fr) m or f, nomade (fr) m or f, itinérant (fr) m
• German: umherziehend (de)
• Greek: περιοδεύων (el) m (periodévon), πλανόδιος (el) m (planódios), περιπατητικός (el) m (peripatitikós) (Aristotle's school)
• Kabuverdianu: andexu, andeje
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: omreisende

• Polish: wędrowny (pl)
• Portuguese: itinerante (pt), nômade (pt)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: peripatético (es), andariego (es), errante (es), errabundo (es), itinerante

constantly traveling

• Finnish: vaeltava (fi), jatkuvasti liikkeellä oleva
• Kabuverdianu: andeje, andexu
• Māori: kānekeneke
• Polish: wędrowny (pl)
• Russian: стра́нствующий (ru) (stránstvujuščij)

Having to do with Aristotle's philosophy or school of thought

• Bulgarian: аристотелев (aristotelev)
• Catalan: peripatètic (ca), aristotèlic (ca)
• Finnish: peripateettinen
• French: péripatétique (fr) m or f, péripatéticien (fr) m
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: περίπατος (perípatos)

• Polish: perypatetyczny
• Spanish: peripatético (es)

Noun

peripatetic (plural peripatetics)

1. One who walks about; a pedestrian; an itinerant.

   Synonyms: wayfarer, itinerant, pedestrian, nomad

2. (philosophy, usually capitalized) Alternative letter-case form of Peripatetic (“Aristotelian”).
   • 1961, Albert Upton, Design for Thinking: A First Book in Semantics, section 11:

     He who would think clearly must think like a peripatetic even if he is unwilling to walk like one.

Translations

one who walks about; a pedestrian; an itinerant

• Bulgarian: странник (bg) (strannik)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: wandelaar (nl), handelsreiziger (nl), aanhanger van Aristoteles
• Finnish: kulkija (fi), vaeltaja (fi)
• Greek: περιπατητής (el) m (peripatitís)
• Kabuverdianu: andeje, andexu
• Polish: perypatetyk (pl) m, wędrowiec (pl) m
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

Aristotelian — see Aristotelian

Further reading

• “peripatetic”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• precipitate

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French péripatétique.

Adjective

peripatetic m or n (feminine singular peripatetică, masculine plural peripatetici, feminine/neuter plural peripatetice)

1. peripatetic (clarification of this definition is needed.)

Declension

Declension of peripatetic

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	peripatetic		peripatetică		peripatetici	peripatetice
	definite	peripateticul		peripatetica		peripateticii	peripateticele
genitive- dative	indefinite	peripatetic		peripatetice		peripatetici	peripatetice
	definite	peripateticului		peripateticei		peripateticilor	peripateticelor

Further reading

• “peripatetic”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026