*sed-

Reconstruction

LIV and NIL set up *sed- 'to sit down',^[1][2] and Beekes, de Vaan and Matasović use the same form.^[3][4][5] Derksen reconstructs Proto-Balto-Slavic *seʔd-,^[6] and LIV explains its long vowel as *sēd- from Winter's law, generalised in Balto-Slavic.^[1]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *séd-/s(e)d- (Ancient Greek ἕζετο (hézeto)), an i-reduplicated thematic present *si-sd-é- (Sanskrit सीदति (sī́dati), Ancient Greek ἵζω (hízō), Latin sīdō), a perfect *se-sód/sd-, marked as uncertain, a causative *sod-éi̯e- (Sanskrit सादयति (sādáyati), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (satjan)) and a desiderative.^[1] An acrodynamic root present *sḗd-/séd- is uncertain, resting mainly on one Vedic form.^[1] Kümmel adds Middle Breton hez- (“to stop”) and asez- (“to sit down”) to it, with Old Irish -said.^[7] He also adds an Avestan form to the reduplicated present and removes Old Irish síasair from the perfect, since it is a suppletive form of *steh₂-.^[7] The verbs meaning 'to be sitting', Latin sedeō, Lithuanian sėdė́ti and Old Church Slavonic сѣдѣти (sěděti), are later statives that replaced *h₁éh₁s-.^[1]

Evidence

Ten branches are cited under Reflexes, Anatolian only through Puhvel's derivation.^[8] LIV lists no Anatolian or Tocharian verb, and it separates Hittite sesd- (“to grow”).^[1] Puhvel derives Hittite sazki- (“to set upon, beset”) from a *s(e)d-ské- formation.^[8]

Competing analyses

Beekes derives Ancient Greek ἕζομαι (hézomai) from a thematic yod-present *sed-ie/o-, as in Germanic, and allows the Homeric preterite to be a reduplicated aorist *se-sd- or an augmented *h₁e-sd-.^[3] LIV derives it from an augmented thematic *e-sd-e- with secondary aspiration.^[1] Jasanoff reconstructs 'sit', like 'stand', as an athematic h₂e-conjugation present with an invariant zero-grade stem.^[9] Klingenschmitt and Ackermann set up a reduplicated *se-zd- for the Balto-Slavic and Indo-Iranian long vowel, but Kümmel doubts that the parent language had a second, reduplicated aorist.^[7]

Meanings

1. to sit down^[1][2]

LIV compares the opposition of *sed- 'to sit down' to *h₁eh₁s- 'to sit' with that of *legʰ- 'to lie down' to *k̑ei̯- 'to lie'.^[1]

Derivatives

• *séd-os- 'seat': Sanskrit सदस् (sádas-), Ancient Greek ἕδος (hédos, “seat”), with lengthened grade in Latin sēdēs and Old Irish síd.^[2][10]
• *sod-éi̯e- 'to cause to sit': Proto-Germanic *satjan- (“to put”).^[11][12]
• *sed-to-: Proto-Germanic *sessa- (“seat, bench”).^[13]
• *sed-lo- and *sed-lah₂-: Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌻𐍃 (sitls), Old Church Slavonic село (selo), Latin sella.^[2]
• *ni-sd-ó- 'nest': Latin nīdus, Proto-Celtic *nizdo-, Proto-Germanic *nista-.^[14][15][16]

Reflexes

• Indo-Aryan, as listed by LIV: Sanskrit सीदति (sī́dati, “sits down”).^[1]
• Iranian: Proto-Iranian *had (“to sit, be seated”).^[17]
• Armenian, as listed by LIV: Old Armenian նստիմ (nstim, “I sit, I sit down”).^[1]
• Greek: Ancient Greek ἕζομαι (hézomai, “to sit down”), Ancient Greek ἵζω (hízō).^[3]
• Italic: Latin sīdō (“to sit down, settle”), Umbrian sistu.^[4]
• Celtic: Proto-Celtic *sed-o- (“to sit”), in Old Irish saidid and Middle Breton hezaff (“to stop”).^[5]
• Germanic: Proto-Germanic *satjan- (“to put”).^[12]
• Slavic: Old Church Slavonic сѣсти (sěsti, “to sit down”).^[6]
• Baltic: Lithuanian sė́sti (“to sit down”), Old Prussian sindants (“sitting”).^[6][18]
• Anatolian: Hittite sazki- (“to set upon”), if Puhvel is right.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *sed-
2. ^ a b c d Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. *sed-
3. ^ a b c Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. ἕζομαι
4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. sīdō
5. ^ a b Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 336
6. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 447
7. ^ a b c Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 79
8. ^ a b c Puhvel, Jaan (1984–), Hittite Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 211
9. ^ Jasanoff, Jay H. (2003), Hittite and the Indo-European Verb, Oxford: OUP, p. 131
10. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 337
11. ^ Fortson, Benjamin W., IV (2010), Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction, 2nd ed., Malden, MA / Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, p. §5.35
12. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 427
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 433
14. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. nīdus
15. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 300
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 391
17. ^ Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 150
18. ^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 1600