Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Sit

Sit

(sĭt)
,
obs.
3d p
ers.
s
ing.
p
res.
of
Sit
, for sitteth.

Sit

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp.
Sat
(săt)
(
Sate
(sāt)
,
archaic
);
p. p.
Sat
(
Sitten
(sĭt′t’n)
,
obs.
);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Sitting
.]
[OE.
sitten
, AS.
sittan
; akin to OS.
sittian
, OFries.
sitta
, D.
zitten
, G.
sitzen
, OHG.
sizzen
, Icel.
sitja
, SW.
sitta
, Dan.
sidde
, Goth.
sitan
, Russ.
sidiete
, L.
sedere
, Gr.
ἔζεσθαι
, Skr.
sad
. √154. Cf.
Assess
,
Assize
,
Cathedral
,
Chair
,
Dissident
,
Excise
,
Insidious
,
Possess
,
Reside
,
Sanhedrim
,
Séance
,
Seat
,
Noun.
,
Sedate
,
4th Sell
,
Siege
,
Session
,
Set
,
Verb.
T.
,
Sizar
,
Size
,
Subsidy
.]
1.
To rest upon the haunches, or the lower extremity of the trunk of the body; – said of human beings, and sometimes of other animals;
as, to
sit
on a sofa, on a chair, or on the ground
.
And he came and took the book put of the right hand of him that
sate
upon the seat.
Bible (1551) (Rev. v. 7.)
I pray you, jest, sir, as you
sit
at dinner.
Shakespeare
2.
To perch; to rest with the feet drawn up, as birds do on a branch, pole, etc.
3.
To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition.
And Moses said to . . . the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye
sit
here?
Num. xxxii. 6.
Like a demigod here
sit
I in the sky.
Shakespeare
4.
To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh; – with on;
as, a weight or burden
sits
lightly upon him
.
The calamity
sits
heavy on us.
Jer. Taylor.
5.
To be adjusted; to fit;
as, a coat
sits
well or ill
.
This new and gorgeous garment, majesty,
Sits
not so easy on me as you think.
Shakespeare
6.
To suit one well or ill, as an act; to become; to befit; – used impersonally.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
7.
To cover and warm eggs for hatching, as a fowl; to brood; to incubate.
As the partridge
sitteth
on eggs, and hatcheth them not.
Jer. xvii. 11.
8.
To have position, as at the point blown from; to hold a relative position; to have direction.
Like a good miller that knows how to grind, which way soever the wind
sits
.
Selden.
Sits
the wind in that quarter?
Sir W. Scott.
9.
To occupy a place or seat as a member of an official body;
as, to
sit
in Congress
.
10.
To hold a session; to be in session for official business; – said of legislative assemblies, courts, etc.;
as, the court
sits
in January; the aldermen
sit
to-night
.
11.
To take a position for the purpose of having some artistic representation of one’s self made, as a picture or a bust;
as, to
sit
to a painter
.
To sit at
,
to rest under; to be subject to.
[Obs.]
“A farmer can not husband his ground so well if he sit at a great rent”.
Bacon.
–
To sit at meat
or
To sit at table
,
to be at table for eating.
–
To sit down
.
(a)
To place one's self on a chair or other seat;
as,
to sit down
when tired
.
(b)
To begin a siege;
as, the enemy
sat down
before the town
.
(c)
To settle; to fix a permanent abode
.
Spenser.
(d)
To rest; to cease as satisfied.
“Here we can not sit down, but still proceed in our search.”
Rogers.
–
To sit for a fellowship
,
to offer one's self for examination with a view to obtaining a fellowship.
[Eng. Univ.]
–
To sit out
.
(a)
To be without engagement or employment
.
[Obs.]
Bp. Sanderson.
(b)
To outstay.
(c)
to refrain from participating in [an activity such as a dance or hand at cards]; used especially after one has recently participated in an earlier such activity. The one sitting out does not necessarily have to sit during the activity foregone.
–
To sit under
,
to be under the instruction or ministrations of; as,
to sit under
a preacher;
to sit under
good preaching.
–
To sit up
,
to rise from, or refrain from, a recumbent posture or from sleep; to sit with the body upright; as,
to sit up
late at night; also, to watch;
as,
to sit up
with a sick person
.
“He that was dead sat up, and began to speak.”
Luke vii. 15.

Sit

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To sit upon; to keep one's seat upon;
as, he
sits
a horse well
.
Hardly the muse can
sit
the headstrong horse.
Prior.
2.
To cause to be seated or in a sitting posture; to furnish a seat to; – used reflexively.
They
sat
them down to weep.
Milton.
Sit
you down, father; rest you.
Shakespeare
3.
To suit (well or ill); to become.
[Obs. or R.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Sit

SIT

,
Verb.
I.
pret. sat; old pp. sitten [L. sedeo.]
1.
To rest upon the buttocks, as animals; as, to sit on a sofa or on the ground.
2.
To perch; to rest on the feet; as fowls.
3.
To occupy a seat or place in an official capacity. The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Matt. 23.
4.
To be in a state of rest or idleness. Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? Num. 32.
5.
To rest, lie or bear on, as a weight or burned; as, grief sits heavy on his heart.
6.
To settle; to rest; to abide. Pale horror sat on each Arcadian face.
7.
To incubate; to cover and warm eggs for hatching; as a fowl. As the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not- Jer. 17.
8.
To be adjusted; to be, with respect to fitness or unfitness; as, a coat sits well or ill. This new and gorgeous garment, majesty, sits not so easy on me as you think.
9.
To be placed in order to be painted; as, to sit for one's picture.
10.
To be in any situation or condition. Suppose all the church lands to be thrown up to the laity; would the tenants sit easier in their rents than now?
11.
To hold a session; to be officially engaged in public business; as judges, legislators or officers of any kind. The house of commons sometimes sits till late at night. The judges or the courts sit in Westminster hall. The commissioners sit every day.
12.
To exercise authority; as, to sit in judgment. One council sits upon life and death.
13.
To be in any assembly or council as a member; to have a seat.
14.
To be in a local position. The wind sits fair. [Unusual]

Definition 2024

sit

sit

See also: sít, šit, -sít, -šit, síť, and šít

English

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 the legs (especially the upper legs) are supported by some object.
    • 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) 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.
  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?

Conjugation

  • An obsolete form of the simple past is sate and of the past participle is sitten.[1]

Quotations

  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:sit.

Synonyms

  • (be in a position in which the upper body is upright and the legs are supported): be seated
  • (move oneself into such a position): be seated, sit down (from a standing position), sit up (from a prone position), take a seat
  • (of an object: occupy a given position permanently): be, be found, be situated
  • (be a member of a deliberative body):
  • (be accepted): be accepted, be welcomed, be well received
  • (to accommodate in seats): seat

Derived terms

Translations

of a person, be in a position in which the upper body is upright and the legs are supported
to be a member of a deliberative body

See also

Noun

sit ‎(plural sits)

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

Translations

References

  1. ↑ Entry about past simple sate in Webster's dictionary

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: formed · fight · agree · #765: sit · considerable · private · dinner

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch zitten, from Old Dutch *sitten, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną, 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. to place, to put
    Ek sit jou sleutels op die tafel.‎
    I am putting your keys on the table.
  4. to deposit
    Ek gaan al my geld in die bank sit.‎
    I am going to deposit all my money in the bank.

Derived terms

Synonyms

  • (to deposit): deponeer, plaas
  • (to place): neersit, plaas

Usage notes

  • Sit and its derivatives are usually more commonly used than plaas for their overlapping senses, but are sometimes considered less formal than plaas, especially in formal writing.

Danish

Pronoun

sit n ‎(common sin, plural sine)

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

See also

Gothic

Romanization

sit

  1. Romanization of 𐍃𐌹𐍄

Latin

Pronunciation

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

Latvian

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

Lojban

Rafsi

sit

  1. rafsi of sitna.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

sit

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

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

sȉt ‎(definite sȉtī, comparative sitiji, Cyrillic spelling си̏т)

  1. sated, full
Declension
positive definite forms
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative siti sita sito
genitive sitog(a) site sitog(a)
dative sitom(u/e) sitoj sitom(u/e)
accusative inanimate
animate 		siti
sitog(a)		 situ sito
vocative siti sita sito
locative sitom(e/u) sitoj sitom(e/u)
instrumental sitim sitom sitim
plural masculine feminine neuter
nominative siti site sita
genitive sitih sitih sitih
dative sitim(a) sitim(a) sitim(a)
accusative site site sita
vocative siti site sita
locative sitim(a) sitim(a) sitim(a)
instrumental sitim(a) sitim(a) sitim(a)
comparative forms
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative sitiji sitija sitije
genitive sitijeg(a) sitije sitijeg(a)
dative sitijem(u) sitijoj sitijem(u)
accusative inanimate
animate 		sitiji
sitijeg(a)		 sitiju sitije
vocative sitiji sitija sitije
locative sitijem(u) sitijoj sitijem(u)
instrumental sitijim sitijom sitijim
plural masculine feminine neuter
nominative sitiji sitije sitija
genitive sitijih sitijih sitijih
dative sitijim(a) sitijim(a) sitijim(a)
accusative sitije sitije sitija
vocative sitiji sitije sitija
locative sitijim(a) sitijim(a) sitijim(a)
instrumental sitijim(a) sitijim(a) sitijim(a)

Antonyms

Etymology 2

From New Latin sit.

Noun

sȋt m ‎(Cyrillic spelling си̑т)

  1. rush (genus Juncus)

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English ****.

Noun

sit

  1. remnant

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; and with Irish suigh, Latin sedeo, Russian сиде́ть ‎(sidétʹ).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: sĭt, IPA(key): /sɪt/
  • Rhymes: -ɪt

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