Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Sedentary for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Sedentary" — adjective, pronounced /ˈsɛdəntəri/, with the stress on "sed".
Narrator: Sedentary means involving little physical activity, such as sitting or resting for long periods.
Narrator: In plain English, a sedentary lifestyle is one where you sit a lot — like an office worker who sits all day.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin sedentarius, meaning sitting, from sedere, to sit.
Narrator: "A sedentary job" describes work that involves sitting for most of the day.
Narrator: It differs from inactive because sedentary specifically means sitting, whereas inactive is more general.
Narrator: "A sedentary lifestyle" is a sense meaning a way of living with little physical activity.
Narrator: Health, medicine, fitness, work and ergonomics all rely on the word sedentary.
Narrator: So remember: sedentary means sitting, from the Latin for sitting.
Speaker A: What does sedentary mean?
Speaker B: Sitting a lot! SEDENTARY comes from the Latin sedentarius, sitting, so it means involving little physical activity, like sitting for long periods.
Speaker A: So an office job is sedentary?
Speaker B: Yes — and it's bad for your health!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "A sedentary job"; "a sedentary lifestyle"; "sedentary behaviour" — work, health and habits.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't pronounce it sed-en-tree, because it's SED-un-tree, rhyming with entry.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'Inactive' the general cousin, 'stationary' the still twin, 'deskbound' the work alternative. The word keeps its sitting charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "sedentary" in AI prompts — useful for health apps and fitness tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame health?
Speaker B: Right. For a health app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide to avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, naming two tips.
Speaker A: How about a fitness tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to advise:
Prompt: Draft a workout plan for sedentary workers, naming two exercises.
Speaker A: Could it help with an ergonomics bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame the office:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences how to set up a desk for sedentary work, naming one adjustment.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a wellness chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short note on the health risks of being sedentary, naming one condition.
Sedentary — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary