Peripatetic- do you know what this word means?

[Anonymous]

People who use big words are stupid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know what the word means and I might feel bad for you for living a peripatetic life in your 20s. You had fun (maybe?) but missed out or put off other things in life.

This. Don't assume they dont know the word.

I would have probably had the same type of reaction bc I would think that kind of life is a little sad.

It probably depends on the rest of the context in your email, but the word has a different connotation to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who use big words are stupid

You're not wrong. They might not be stupid, but they definitely aren't effective communicators.

Even worse are the people that use TOO many words

[Anonymous]

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

LOL

He was an idiot and needs to go back and wander the halls of the Lyceum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know what the word means and I might feel bad for you for living a peripatetic life in your 20s. You had fun (maybe?) but missed out or put off other things in life.

This. Don't assume they dont know the word.

I would have probably had the same type of reaction bc I would think that kind of life is a little sad.

It probably depends on the rest of the context in your email, but the word has a different connotation to them.

Interesting. I think it’s sad to always stay in one place and not have the opportunity to really get to know different places and the people who live there as a resident. People who have only lived in one place tend to have a more limited perspective on the world. Remember that old poster showing a New Yorker's view of the world?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who use big words are stupid

Anonymous wrote:You're not wrong. They might not be stupid, but they definitely aren't effective communicators.

Even worse are the people that use TOO many words

Yes. You could have just said "Right."

[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.

For someone who moved around a lot and hated it. I would’ve responded in a way like “oh I’m sorry”. I would’ve looked at it as a bad thing not a positive. Maybe that’s her perspective too.