A WORD A DAY.

Southland Times, Issue 21098, 2 June 1930, Page 8

A WORD A DAY.

PERIPATETIC. The Greek peripatetikos from peri “about,” and patein “to walk,” means “given to walking about,” and the word was coined to fit a very serious group of people, but to-day its application is almost entirely humorous. It was the habit of the philosopher Aristotle to walk about in the Lyceum at Athens as he gave instructions to his pupils, so in a very short time the name Peripatetic was given to his system of philosophy. Later the whole method of instruction by lectures, after the manner of Aristotle, was called peripatetic. To many people the idea of pacing up and down, especially when disputing, seemed decidedly humorous, so this term in phrases like “his' peripatetic habits” is expected to produce a smile. Walking about from place to place either for pleasure or in connection with some occupation classes one as an itinerant or a peripatetic. The word is even humorously applied to one who rambles in his speech. When reference is being made to an Aristotelian, the word is always capitalized; in other uses a lower-case letter is correct. Per-i-pa-tet-ic is emphasized on the fourth syllable. Sound e as in end, i as in till, a as in sofa, e as in end, i as in it. “He gave a peripatetic discourse.”