WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Sed"en*ta*ry
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [L. sedentarius, fr. sedere to sit: cf. F. se?dentaire. See Sedent.]
Definition : 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. (Zo?l.)

Defn: Remaining in one place, especially when firmly attached to some object; as, the oyster is a sedentary mollusk; the barnacles are sedentary crustaceans. Sedentary spider (Zo?l.), one of a tribe of spiders which rest motionless until their prey is caught in their web.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913