sittan

Old English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sed-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *sédyeti

Proto-Germanic *sitjaną

Proto-West Germanic *sittjan

Old English sittan

From Proto-West Germanic *sittjan.

Cognates

Cognate with Old Frisian sitta (West Frisian sitte), Old High German sizzen (German sitzen), Old Saxon sittian, Dutch zitten, Old Norse sitja (Icelandic sitja, Faroese sita, Swedish sitta), Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (sitan). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Sanskrit सीदति (sīdati), Old Armenian նիստ (nist, “sitting”), Old Irish saidid (Irish suigh), Ancient Greek ἕζομαι (hézomai), Latin sedeō, Old Church Slavonic сѣдѣти (sěděti) (Russian сиде́ть (sidétʹ)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsit.tɑn/

Verb

sittan

1. to sit
   • 10th century, Exeter Book Riddle 8‎^[1]:

     Þonne iċ būgendre stefne styrme, stille on wīcum sittað hnīgende.

     When I shout with bending voice, the still men sit bowing in dwellings.

Conjugation

Conjugation of sittan (strong class 5)

infinitive	sittan	sittenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	sitte	sæt
second person singular	sitst	sǣte
third person singular	sitt, sit	sæt
plural	sittaþ	sǣton
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	sitte	sǣte
plural	sitten	sǣten
imperative
singular	site
plural	sittaþ
participle	present	past
	sittende	(ġe)seten

Derived terms

• besittan
• forsittan
• ġesittan
• ofersittan
• ymbsittan

Descendants

• Middle English: sitten, zitten, zitte (Kent)
  • English: sit
  • Scots: sit
  • Yola: zit