- Today's Word
Gregarious
[gruh-GAIR-ee-us]
Definition
- (adjective) Fond of company; enjoying being with others; sociable and outgoing. As an adjective, it describes someone who seeks and enjoys the company of others, or in zoology, refers to animals that live in groups or communities.
Example
Sarah’s gregarious nature made her perfect for a career in public relations, where she could constantly interact with new people.
Fun Fact
The word “gregarious” comes from the Latin “gregarius,” meaning “belonging to a flock,” which derives from “grex” meaning “herd” or “flock.” Originally, it was primarily used to describe animals that lived in herds or flocks, such as sheep or birds. By the 17th century, the word evolved to describe human social behavior. Interestingly, this same Latin root “grex” gave us other words like “congregation,” “aggregate,” and “segregate,” all relating to the concept of gathering or separating groups.
(noun) A person who believes that the pursuit of pleasure and sensory enjoyment is the highest good and chief aim of life
A self-proclaimed hedonist, she planned her entire sabbatical around exceptional food, warm weather, and long afternoons with nothing to do.
Hedonist derives from the Greek hedone, meaning “pleasure” or “delight,” from hedys (“sweet”). The philosophical school of Hedonism was formally developed in ancient Greece — most notably by Epicurus, who argued that pleasure, properly understood, was the foundation of a good life. The word entered English in the 19th century as both a philosophical term and a descriptor for those who live purely for sensory gratification.