sido

Forms

sīdō (present infinitive sīdere, perfect active sīdī); third conjugation, no passive, no supine stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sizd-e/o- (“to sit down”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *si-sd-e/o- (“to sit down”), a reduplicated present of the root of sedeō (“to sit”).^[2][3] Cognate with Umbrian sistu (“to sit down”), Sanskrit सीदति (sī́dati, “to sit down”) and Ancient Greek ἵζω (hízō, “to sit down”).^[2][1] De Vaan notes that its compounds are attested earlier than the simple verb.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan finds it first in Lucilius;^[2] the earliest citation in the OLD is Lucretius, of chalk settling on the limbs.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It means to sit down, as people sitting with bent knees in Statius,^[3] and more often to come to rest on a surface, to settle: Virgil has doves alighting on a tree,^[4] and the OLD also uses it of boats running aground.^[3] Lucretius uses it of plains sinking while the mountains grew, and Nepos of a ship that began to sink when rammed.^[3] Of the wind it means to drop or abate, as in Silius Italicus when the south wind subsides, and it is used of emotions in the same way.^[3] Lewis & Short call it poetic and post-Augustan.^[4] The OLD assigns forms with the perfect sēdī to sedeō.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius, its first attestation.^[2]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius of chalk settling and plains sinking.^[3]
• c. 100–24 BC – Nepos of a ship sinking.^[3]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil of doves alighting on a tree.^[4]
• 25–101 AD – Silius Italicus of the south wind dropping.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sit down, squat.^[3][4][1]
2. To come to rest, settle, alight;^[3][4] (of boats) to run aground.^[3][4]
3. To sink to a lower level, subside; to sink in water, go to the bottom.^[3][1]
4. (of wind, emotions) To abate, die down.^[3]

Word family

• assīdō
• circumsīdō
• cōnsīdō
• dēsīdō
• īnsīdō
• obsīdō
• persīdō
• resīdō
• subsīdō
• possīdō
• adsīdō

Related words

• sedeō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press