Peripatetic- do you know what this word means?

[Anonymous]

My job is considered to be a "smart person job" and I recently won an award for being the best in my company at my smart person job.

I do not know what that word means, TBH.

I would have looked it up before interpreting your email. If I made the mistake your friend did it would have been because I read fast and assumed it said "pathetic."

If you feel like you need to clear it up just respond with the equivalent of "lol I meant peripatetic, not pathetic! I moved a lot, you know how it is." It's a very uncommon word and looks like a common word, so honest mistake. This is the type of thing that happens when people ask about colposcopys on this board and people respond with advice about colonoscopys. Understandable in any case.

[Anonymous]

Didn’t read thread; my Greek History teacher back in the say told us it meant “woman who walks around” = prostitute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My job is considered to be a "smart person job" and I recently won an award for being the best in my company at my smart person job.

I do not know what that word means, TBH.

I would have looked it up before interpreting your email. If I made the mistake your friend did it would have been because I read fast and assumed it said "pathetic."

If you feel like you need to clear it up just respond with the equivalent of "lol I meant peripatetic, not pathetic! I moved a lot, you know how it is." It's a very uncommon word and looks like a common word, so honest mistake. This is the type of thing that happens when people ask about colposcopys on this board and people respond with advice about colonoscopys. Understandable in any case.

Hmm, very good point here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t read thread; my Greek History teacher back in the say told us it meant “woman who walks around” = prostitute.

Haha, very funny! Not even remotely like the English definition, but clearly your Greek History teacher was having a little fun with their students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t read thread; my Greek History teacher back in the say told us it meant “woman who walks around” = prostitute.

Haha, very funny! Not even remotely like the English definition, but clearly your Greek History teacher was having a little fun with their students.

I think it’s because she was Italian!

Italian "peripatetica" is used for prostitute, working in the streets, and walking and walking around while waiting for clients.
Very sad indeed. They are often used and forced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t read thread; my Greek History teacher back in the say told us it meant “woman who walks around” = prostitute.

Haha, very funny! Not even remotely like the English definition, but clearly your Greek History teacher was having a little fun with their students.

I think it’s because she was Italian!

Italian "peripatetica" is used for prostitute, working in the streets, and walking and walking around while waiting for clients.
Very sad indeed. They are often used and forced.

Interesting, but really has nothing to do with the use of the English word being discussed here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t read thread; my Greek History teacher back in the say told us it meant “woman who walks around” = prostitute.

Haha, very funny! Not even remotely like the English definition, but clearly your Greek History teacher was having a little fun with their students.

I think it’s because she was Italian!

Italian "peripatetica" is used for prostitute, working in the streets, and walking and walking around while waiting for clients.
Very sad indeed. They are often used and forced.

Interesting, but really has nothing to do with the use of the English word being discussed here.

OP was in her 20s…

[Anonymous]

Yes. I know what it means.

[Anonymous]

I would use the word in an email with colleagues or someone I assumed would understand it. I don’t think it’s that weird of a word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t read thread; my Greek History teacher back in the say told us it meant “woman who walks around” = prostitute.

Ha untrue. It describes Aristotle’s teaching style. And yes he walked around while teaching. But was neither a woman nor a prostitute!

[Anonymous]

I know what it means. But I have come to realize I live in a world that no longer elevates or rewards liberal arts smarties but favors business or engineering types, so I regularly simplify my writing. I also think the rise of “quick reading” on a screen has decreased all of our attention spans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t read thread; my Greek History teacher back in the say told us it meant “woman who walks around” = prostitute.

Haha, very funny! Not even remotely like the English definition, but clearly your Greek History teacher was having a little fun with their students.

I think it’s because she was Italian!

Italian "peripatetica" is used for prostitute, working in the streets, and walking and walking around while waiting for clients.
Very sad indeed. They are often used and forced.

Interesting, but really has nothing to do with the use of the English word being discussed here.

OP was in her 20s…

Are you suggesting that because she was in her 20s she must have been a prostitute?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently used the word peripatetic in an email to describe a time in my life when I moved frequently due to job requirements, as in “… my peripatetic life when I was in my 20s….” The person I wrote the email to replied in such a way that it appears that they believe that I was unhappy with my life at that time, which makes me think the person might have thought that the word “peripatetic” means “pathetic.”

Two questions:

1. should I not have used this word? Is it too obscure to use in a casual email?
2. Is there some way I can let this person know that I was referring to the fact that I moved frequently during that time and not that I was at all unhappy? I don’t want the person to feel insulted that I think they don’t understand what this word means, but I also don’t want them to think that I feel that my life at that time was “pathetic.”

Thanks in advance for any advice here.

You must play a mean game of scrabble!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I know what it means but using it makes you sound conceited. You could have just said, I moved a lot and tried different a lot of different things.

You could just say she sounds stuck up. You could have told her to say she did stuff.

Why so wordy, PP? Are you stuck up?

Blow me

Oh, I think I'll pass. I like a big vocabulary, and I cannot lie.

[Anonymous]

I actually read this whole thread. Even among my think tank colleagues I am known as someone with a big vocabulary. I know this word but would edit it right out of a report if I or a colleague put it in. I definitely would not put it in an email to a colleague. Way too pretentious. I always thought the word had a negative connotation, and I did not know the ties to medical training/testing. Interesting.