gadabout

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The Word of the Day for May 27 is: 

gadabout   \GAD-uh-bowt ("ow" as in "cow")\   noun
     : a person who flits about in social activity

Example sentence:
     Emily had been a gadabout in college, so none of her friends were 
surprised that she ended up as a Hollywood gossip columnist.

Did you know?
     If you had to pick the insect most closely related to a "gadabout," you 
might wryly guess the "social butterfly." But there's another bug that's 
commonly heard buzzing around discussions of "gadabout" -- the gadfly. "Gadfly" 
is a term used for any of a number of winged pests (such as horseflies) that 
bite or annoy livestock. Since gadflies are known for their nasty bite, it's 
not surprising that they are named after a sharp chisel or pointed bar used by 
miners to loosen rock and ore called a "gad." But, although a gadabout's gossip 
can bite, "gadfly" doesn't have any clear etymological relation to "gadabout," 
which traces back to the Middle English verb "gadden," meaning "to wander 
without a specific aim or purpose."