sedentary Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite requiring sitting or little activity
    • forced by illness to lead a sedentary life

WordNet

Sed"en*ta*ry adjective
Etymology
L. sedentarius, fr. sedere to sit: cf. F. seédentaire. See Sedent.
Definitions
  1. Accustomed to sit much or long; as, a sedentary man. "Sedentary, scholastic sophists." Bp. Warburton.
  2. Characterized by, or requiring, much sitting; as, a sedentary employment; a sedentary life.
    Any education that confined itself to sedentary pursuits was essentially imperfect. Beaconsfield.
  3. Inactive; motionless; sluggish; hence, calm; tranquil. R. "The sedentary earth." Milton.
    The soul, considered abstractly from its passions, is of a remiss, sedentary nature. Spectator.
  4. Caused by long sitting. Obs. "Sedentary numbness." Milton.
  5. (Zoöl.) Remaining in one place, especially when firmly attached to some object; as, the oyster is a sedentary mollusk; the barnacles are sedentary crustaceans.

Webster 1913