Word of the Day - 03/05/26
gregarious
/grɪ'ɡɜriəs/(adj.): instinctively or temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
She is a gregarious person who loves social gatherings and is always surrounded by friends.
(adj.): (of animals) tending to form a group with others of the same species
These gregarious animals live in large herds for protection against predators.
(adj.): (of plants) growing in groups that are close together
The gregarious nature of the bamboo made it spread quickly, forming a dense thicket.
Word Origin
The word 'gregarious' originates from Latin. It comes from 'grex' (genitive 'gregis'), meaning 'herd' or 'flock', combined with the adjectival suffix '-arius', meaning 'pertaining to' or 'belonging to'. Thus, 'gregarious' literally means 'belonging to a flock' or 'fond of company', referring to animals that live in herds or people who are social.
Several English words share a similar Latin root 'grex' (herd, flock). For example: 'congregate' derives from Latin 'congregare' ('com-' meaning 'together' + 'grex'), meaning to gather together. 'Segregate' comes from Latin 'segregare' ('se-' meaning 'apart' + 'grex'), meaning to set apart from the main group. 'Egregious' comes from Latin 'egregius' ('e-' meaning 'out of' + 'grex'), originally meaning 'standing out from the flock' (in a good sense), but evolving to mean 'conspicuously bad' or 'flagrant'. 'Aggregate' comes from Latin 'aggregare' ('ad-' meaning 'to' + 'grex'), meaning to bring together or form into a whole.