*satjaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *satjaną in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *satjanan in Orel^[3] and *satjan in Köbler;^[4] Kroonen cites the stem *satjan-.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti, the causative of the verb "to sit".^[2] Kroonen derives it from *sod-eie-, the causative to *set(j)an- "to sit".^[5]

Morphology

A weak verb of the first class,^[4][5] a causative with the o-grade of the root of *sitjaną "to sit", like *nazjaną "save" beside *nesaną "survive".^[1] Wiktionary analyses it as *sitjaną with the causative suffix *-janą.^[2] Its j umlauted the root vowel in Old Norse setja and Old English settan, beside Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (satjan).^[6] Wiktionary's West Germanic stage is Proto-West Germanic *sattjan.^[2]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (satjan), Old Norse setja, and Old English settan, Old Frisian setta, Old Saxon settian and Old High German sezzen in West Germanic.^[5] The oldest record is runic: Antonsen reads the first person preterite satido, Proto-Germanic *sat-i-do:n, on the Rö stone, which he dates to 400 AD;^[7] Wiktionary gives it as Proto-Norse ᛊᚨᛏᛁᛞᛟ (satido).^[2] A third person preterite stands on the Gummarp stone, of 600–650 in Antonsen's dating;^[8] Looijenga takes it as the preterite of a verb like the Gothic and Old Norse ones.^[9] Outside Germanic, Orel and Kroonen compare causatives such as Proto-Slavic *saditi (“to set, to plant”) in Slavic and Indo-Iranian.^[3][5]

Meanings

1. to set, to put, to place^[5][3][4][2]
2. to cause to sit, to seat^[1][10]

Gothic also used it for "to determine",^[11] Old Norse for "to build, to make",^[12] and Old English and Old High German also for "to found" and "to plant".^[13][14]

Derivatives

• *satīniz "a setting, placing, position";^[15] Orel's *satīnaz, *satīnō, as in Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (gasateins, “foundation”).^[3]
• *bisatjaną "to occupy, fill", with *bi-.^[16]
• *sata- "seat", a neuter in Köbler.^[17]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (satjan, “to set, to place, to determine”)^[11]
• Old Norse: setja (“to set, to place, to build”)^[12]
• Old English: settan (“to set, to lay, to place, to found”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: setta (“to set, to place, to establish”)^[18]
• Old Saxon: settian (“to put, to set, to place”)^[19]
• Old Dutch: setten (“to set”)^[4]
• Old High German: sezzen (“to set, to place, to lay, to plant”)^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 282
2. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *satjaną
3. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 319
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *satjan
5. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 427
6. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
7. ^ Antonsen, Elmer H. (1975), A Concise Grammar of the Older Runic Inscriptions, Sprachstrukturen A 3, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. Ro stone
8. ^ Antonsen, Elmer H. (1975), A Concise Grammar of the Older Runic Inscriptions, Sprachstrukturen A 3, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. Gummarp stone
9. ^ Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 179
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sėttian
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. satjan
12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. setja
13. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. settan
14. ^ a b Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. sezzen
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *satīniz
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bisatjaną
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sata-
18. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. setta
19. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. settian