Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Sedentary \Sed"en*ta*ry\, a. [L. sedentarius, fr. sedere to sit:
   cf. F. se['e]dentaire. See {Sedent}.]
   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["o]l.) 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["o]l.), one of a tribe of spiders
      which rest motionless until their prey is caught in their
      web.