*sitjaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *sitjaną in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *setjanan in Orel,^[3] *setjan, *sitjan in Köbler^[4] and SET-JA- in Seebold.^[5] Kroonen writes the stem *set(j)an-, since Gothic alone has a present without j.^[6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sédyeti (“to sit”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”).^[1] Kroonen derives it from *sed-ie-, formally identical to Ancient Greek ἕζομαι (hézomai, “to sit down”), and calls the root the original Indo-European verb for "to sit".^[6]

Morphology

A strong verb of class V,^[7][8][9] with a j-present.^[10] Mailhammer puts it among the strong verbs with an accepted Indo-European etymology.^[7] The *j raised the root vowel *e to *i throughout the present stem, which is why the verb has *i where *etaną "to eat", of the same class, keeps *e.^[2] Ringe lists it among the strong j-presents whose endings had the voiced Verner's-law alternants.^[10]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (sitan) in Gothic, Old Norse sitja in Old Norse, and Old English sittan, Old Frisian sitta, Old Saxon sittian and Old High German sizzen in West Germanic.^[6] The Gothic verb is in Wulfila's Bible.^[8] Outside Germanic, Kroonen compares Latin sedeō (“to sit, to be seated”) and Old Irish saidid (“to sit”), among others.^[6]

Competing analyses

Only Gothic has a present without j.^[6][5] Kroonen calls the difference between Gothic *setan- and the *setjan- of the other languages debated, and suggests that it may go back to an original i-present, third singular *sed-éi-ti, plural *sed-i-énti.^[6] Seebold thinks that Gothic removed the j-present secondarily,^[5] and Orel cites Brugmann for an analogical loss of the j in Gothic.^[3] Ringe finds the Gothic remodelling of 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie”), 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (sitan) and 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌽 (swaran, “to swear”) as simple thematic presents easier to explain if their third singular present had ended in *-iþi.^[11]

Meanings

1. to sit^[6][4][1][2]

Several daughters also used the verb for "to stay" and "to dwell": Old Frisian,^[12] Old Saxon^[13] and Old High German, where it also meant "to be enthroned".^[9] Old English also used it for "to besiege" and "to preside".^[14]

Derivatives

• *satjaną "to set, to put", its causative.^[15][16][17]
• *setlaz "seat", formed with an l-suffix,^[6][18] and *sadulaz "saddle", which Kroonen derives as an instrumental noun in *-tlo-.^[19]
• *sētiz "possible to sit on", a vṛddhi gerundive.^[20][21]
• *sessaz "seat", from PIE *sedstós "seated".^[22][20]
• *setô "sitter" and *bisitjaną "to sit among, to sit near".^[23][24]
• Kroonen also derives *nista- "nest" from PIE *ni "down" and the zero grade of the same root.^[25]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (sitan, “to sit”)^[26]
• Old Norse: sitja (“to sit”)^[27]
• Old English: sittan (“to sit, to stay, to dwell, to besiege”)^[14]
• Old Frisian: sitta (“to sit, to stay, to dwell”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: sittian (“to sit, to sit down, to dwell”)^[13]
• Old High German: sizzen (“to sit, to be enthroned, to dwell”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sitjaną
2. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 249
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 325
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *setjan
5. ^ a b c Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. SET-JA-
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 434
7. ^ a b Mailhammer, Robert (2007), The Germanic Strong Verbs: Foundations and Development of a New System, Trends in Linguistics 183, Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 222
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sitan
9. ^ a b c 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. sizzen
10. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 207
11. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 252
12. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sitta
13. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sittian
14. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sittan
15. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 427
16. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 282
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *satjaną
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *setlaz
19. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 419
20. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 433
21. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sētiz
22. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 106
23. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *setô
24. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bisitjaną
25. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 391
26. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sitan
27. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. sitja