Sedentary
adjectiveCharacterised by much sitting and little physical activity.
How to spell sedentary
9 letters · 4 syllables
How to pronounce sedentary
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does sedentary mean?
- adjectiveCharacterised by much sitting and little physical activity.
Sedentary in a sentence
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Years of sedentary office work left him stiff and out of shape.
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Doctors warn that a sedentary lifestyle raises the risk of heart disease.
Where does sedentary come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word comes from the Latin sedentarius, meaning 'sitting' or 'pertaining to sitting', which was built on the verb sedere, literally 'to sit'. English borrowed it through French in the late 1500s, at first describing work or occupations done while seated, such as that of a tailor or a clerk. Over time it broadened to describe a whole lifestyle marked by little physical activity, the sense most people reach for today. The very same sedere root sits quietly inside a surprising family of English words, including 'sediment' (matter that settles and sits at the bottom), 'reside', 'preside', and even 'session'. Recognising that the core of the word is the act of sitting helps explain why the spelling keeps the 'sedent' stem rather than the more tempting 'sedant' or 'sedintary'.
How the word is built
- sedent- (from Latin sedere: to sit)
- -ary (adjective suffix relating to)
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