Peripatetic- do you know what this word means?

[Anonymous]

I consider myself well read and took Latin too for few years - but have never heard of this word and would think why on earth are you being so wordy?
I would look up the meaning but still would wonder why would you use such obscure words?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know what peripatetic means, but if I didn't, I would look it up. I like learning new words. It's no big deal.

Someone offered a graceful response upthread if you feel like responding.

As I was reading the responses I was waiting for this one as this is the most logical. When I come across a word I don't know, I look it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Peripatetic (when used correctly) is a clear and succinct word choice. There are other words I think people misuse vis a vis the true definition (“peruse” comes to mind - often people use it to mean “skim” when it pretty much means the opposite - misuse of peruse drives me crazy), but peripatetic is not one of those words.

But why choose to use a word that many people might misunderstand or misuse? If your intent is to get a specific message across to your recipient, don't use words that could be misunderstood or less known. The fact that you're claiming a word is so clear and succinct as a choice, that many posters have chimed in to say varying things about shows that it probably was not the best choice. My brilliant grandfather who had a phd always told me not to use the fifty cent word when the five cent word meant that my intentions were clear. He told me to save the fifty cent words for poetry, fiction, letters to friends and for fun, but that if my intent was to teach or persuade, use more of the five cent words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peripatetic (when used correctly) is a clear and succinct word choice. There are other words I think people misuse vis a vis the true definition (“peruse” comes to mind - often people use it to mean “skim” when it pretty much means the opposite - misuse of peruse drives me crazy), but peripatetic is not one of those words.

But why choose to use a word that many people might misunderstand or misuse? If your intent is to get a specific message across to your recipient, don't use words that could be misunderstood or less known. The fact that you're claiming a word is so clear and succinct as a choice, that many posters have chimed in to say varying things about shows that it probably was not the best choice. My brilliant grandfather who had a phd always told me not to use the fifty cent word when the five cent word meant that my intentions were clear. He told me to save the fifty cent words for poetry, fiction, letters to friends and for fun, but that if my intent was to teach or persuade, use more of the five cent words.

Well, to be fair, this was a letter/email to a friend, so I guess your father would approve if the use of the word here.

[Anonymous]

It means 'bell-ringer' to me - as in peripatetic exam. The kind where you move from one testing station to another on the sound of the bell, as in med school especially testing of anatomy but also testing of clinical skills.

I could have inferred what it means when applied to a person's life but that's not an everyday word to use in an email.

[Anonymous]

How interesting

I have a decent vocabulary but I really only know that word from my mom being a retired nurse trained in the English system. Growing up, I'd heard her say it more than once as part of a medical description.

https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/peripatetic

[Anonymous]

I don’t know what the word means (well more likely I don’t anymore. I used to know all these words in high school but yeah no one uses them).

But I’d have looked it up. Even so, it’s hard to tell from context, I may still have reached the same conclusion as the recipient. Moving around a lot sounds unenjoyable to me, so it’s a bit of a leap but not a huge one that someone might think that indicates chaos or confusion about your life. Maybe you can just appear to correct that assumption—oh no I didn’t mind all the moving around in fact I liked it!

[Anonymous]

Just tell them you used the word in the sense in its secondary meaning, which is “insufferably showoffy.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just tell them you used the word in the sense in its secondary meaning, which is “insufferably showoffy.”

Many things seem peripatetic to you, don't they? Hard life to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Peripatetic (when used correctly) is a clear and succinct word choice. There are other words I think people misuse vis a vis the true definition (“peruse” comes to mind - often people use it to mean “skim” when it pretty much means the opposite - misuse of peruse drives me crazy), but peripatetic is not one of those words.

.

Peruse means both. It's had two contradictory meanings for 400 years. A number of English words, like sanction and cleave, work this way.

[Anonymous]

Another here who has a good vocabulary and have not heard this word. I read a lot. I used to use all the big words, especially in my writing. But like a PP, I realized that points are usually clearer and writing is simpler when I don’t use SAT or even more obscure words in my writing. That makes for better writing, not using obscure words that you say have a clear meaning…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peripatetic (when used correctly) is a clear and succinct word choice. There are other words I think people misuse vis a vis the true definition (“peruse” comes to mind - often people use it to mean “skim” when it pretty much means the opposite - misuse of peruse drives me crazy), but peripatetic is not one of those words.

But why choose to use a word that many people might misunderstand or misuse? If your intent is to get a specific message across to your recipient, don't use words that could be misunderstood or less known. The fact that you're claiming a word is so clear and succinct as a choice, that many posters have chimed in to say varying things about shows that it probably was not the best choice. My brilliant grandfather who had a phd always told me not to use the fifty cent word when the five cent word meant that my intentions were clear. He told me to save the fifty cent words for poetry, fiction, letters to friends and for fun, but that if my intent was to teach or persuade, use more of the five cent words.

Well, to be fair, this was a letter/email to a friend, so I guess your father would approve if the use of the word here.

It was an email to a relative, so the grandfather’s advice still holds!

See also: Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I use that word frequently and wouldn’t think twice if you sent it to me in an email. 53F

Same. 52F

[Anonymous]

Are you Aristotle?

[Anonymous]

I write and talk like that sometimes, and I realize that to some people this is annoying or pretentious sounding. It's a hard habit to break.

If it was really important to clarify this issue, I'd just respond with something like this: "Sorry if I was unclear. I actually was pretty happy in my twenties; moving around a lot suited me well at the time."

But there I go using a semi colon, which some people think is showy.