sit

Etymology

From Middle English sitten, from Old English sittan, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną, from *set-, from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“sit”). Cognate with West Frisian sitte, Low German sitten, Dutch zitten, German sitzen, Swedish sitta, Norwegian Bokmål sitte, Norwegian Nynorsk sitja; and with Irish suigh, Latin sedeo, Russian сиде́ть (sidétʹ).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sĭt, IPA^(key): /sɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪt

Verb

sit (third-person singular simple present sits, present participle sitting, simple past sat, past participle sat or (archaic, dialectal) sitten)

A painting of a man sitting.

1. (intransitive, of a person) To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks.
   • 1460-1500, The Towneley Playsː

     He is so fair, without lease, he seems full well to sit on this.

   After a long day of walking, it was good just to sit and relax.

2. (intransitive, of a person) To move oneself into such a position.

   I asked him to sit.

3. (intransitive, of an object) To occupy a given position permanently.

   The temple has sat atop that hill for centuries.

4. To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition.
   • Bible, Numbers xxxii. 6

     And Moses said to […] the children of Reuben, Shall your brothren go to war, and shall ye sit here?

   • Shakespeare

     Like a demigod here sit I in the sky.

5. (government) To be a member of a deliberative body.

   I currently sit on a standards committee.

6. (law, government) Of a legislative or, especially, a judicial body such as a court, to be in session.

   In what city is the circuit court sitting for this session.

7. To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh.
   • Jeremy Taylor

     The calamity sits heavy on us.

8. To be adjusted; to fit.

   Your new coat sits well.

   • Shakespeare

     This new and gorgeous garment, majesty, / Sits not so easy on me as you think.

9. (intransitive, of an agreement or arrangement) To be accepted or acceptable; to work.

   How will this new contract sit with the workers?

   I don’t think it will sit well.

   The violence in these video games sits awkwardly with their stated aim of educating children.

10. (transitive, causative) To cause to be seated or in a sitting posture; to furnish a seat to.

    Sit him in front of the TV and he might watch for hours.

    • 1874, James Thomson, The City of Dreadful Night, XX
11. (transitive) To accommodate in seats; to seat.

    The dining room table sits eight comfortably.

    • I sat me weary on a pillar's base, / And leaned against the shaft

12. (intransitive) shortened form of babysit.

    I'm going to sit for them on Thursday.

13. (transitive, US) To babysit

    I need to find someone to sit my kids on Friday evening for four hours.

14. (transitive, Australia, New Zealand, Britain) To take, to undergo or complete (an examination or test).
15. To cover and warm eggs for hatching, as a fowl; to brood; to incubate.
    • Bible, Jer. xvii. 11

      The partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not.

16. To take a position for the purpose of having some artistic representation of oneself made, such as a picture or a bust.

    I'm sitting for a painter this evening.

17. To have position, as at the point blown from; to hold a relative position; to have direction.
    • Selden

      like a good miller that knows how to grind, which way soever the wind sits

    • Sir Walter Scott

      Sits the wind in that quarter?

Noun

sit (plural sits)

1. (rare, Buddhism) An event, usually lasting one full day or more, where the primary goal is to sit in meditation.

References

Anagrams

• 'its, 'tis, -ist, IST, ITS, STI, TIS, is't, ist, it's, its, tis

Etymology

Formally from Dutch zitten (“to sit”), from Old Dutch *sitten, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną. Semantically from a merger of the former and related Dutch zetten (“to set, put”), from Proto-Germanic *satjaną, whence also Afrikaans set (chiefly in compounds). Both Germanic verbs are eventually from Proto-Indo-European *sed-.

Verb

sit (present sit, present participle sittende, past participle gesit)

1. (intransitive) to sit; to be in a sitting position (usually used with op, binne or in)
2. (intransitive) to sit; to sit down to move into a sitting position

   Sit asseblief.

   Please sit down.

3. (transitive) to place, to put

   Ek sit jou sleutels op die tafel.

   I am putting your keys on the table.

4. (transitive) to deposit

   Ek gaan al my geld in die bank sit.

   I am going to deposit all my money in the bank.

Pronoun

sit n (common sin, plural sine)

1. (reflexive possessive) third-person sg pronoun, meaning his/her/its (own)

Romanization

sit

1. Romanization of 𐍃𐌹𐍄

Etymology

Related to Veps sid'.

Adverb

sit

1. here

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /sit/, [sɪt]

Verb

sit

1. third-person singular present active subjunctive of sum (be)
   • 4th century, St Jerome, Vulgate, Tobit 3:23

     sit nomen tuum Deus Israhel benedictum in saecula (Be thy name, O God of Israel, blessed for ever,)

References

• sit in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)

Verb

sit

1. 2nd person singular present indicative form of sist
2. 3rd person singular present indicative form of sist
3. 3rd person plural present indicative form of sist
4. 2nd person singular imperative form of sist
5. (with the particle lai) 3rd person singular imperative form of sist
6. (with the particle lai) 3rd person plural imperative form of sist

Verb

sit

1. present tense of sitja, sitje, sitta and sitte
2. imperative of sitja and sitje

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *sytъ (“satiated, full”), from Proto-Indo-European *s(e)h₂tos, from *seh₂- (“to satiate”).

Etymology 2

From New Latin sit.

Etymology

From English shit.

Noun

sit

1. remnant

Etymology

Related to Finnish sitta.

Noun

sit

1. shit