zitten

Forms

zitten (past zat, plural zaten; past participle gezeten)^[1][2] Middle Dutch had a third person singular set beside sit, and an imperative sete.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch sitten, inherited from Old Dutch sitten, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *sittjan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną (“to sit”).^[4][1][5] The same verb is Old Saxon sittian, Old High German sizzen (modern German sitzen), Old Frisian sitta (modern West Frisian sitte), Old English sittan (modern English sit) and Old Norse sitja, all meaning “to sit”.^[4][6][7] The Germanic ⟨*sitjan-⟩ comes from an older ⟨*setjan-⟩; beside it stands a present without the suffix, Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (sitan), from ⟨*setan-⟩.^[4][8] Kroonen notes that the difference between the two presents is debated and may continue an old present with an ⟨i⟩ suffix.^[7] The causative of the same verb is zetten “to set”.^[4]

The root is Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit down”).^[4][6][7] It is also the source of Latin sedeō (“to sit”), whose compounds gave Dutch president and subsidie, of Ancient Greek ἕζομαι (hézomai, “to sit down”) and ἕδρα (hédrā, “seat”), seen in kathedraal, and of Lithuanian sėdėti (“to sit”), Old Church Slavonic сѣдѣти (sěděti, “to sit”) and Old Irish saidid (“sits”).^[4][9][7] Native words of the same root are nest, zadel, zetel and bezadigd.^[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century use Old Dutch sitten in its plain sense: thia saton an portun, “those who sat in the gate”.^[4][5] In a rhymed Bible of the late 12th century it already means “to be, to live in a state”: thie nu mit friden sitzest, “you who now live in peace”.^[4][5] Middle Dutch sitten is found in a Rhineland text of about 1200, where children sit and talk of love.^[10]

Semantic evolution

Both senses of the modern verb, “to sit” and “to be somewhere”, were present from the start.^[5][4] Old Dutch could say of a childless couple that they ane kint sitten, “sat without child”.^[5] Middle Dutch also used sitten for a ruler on his throne, for a court in session, for living somewhere and for clothes that fit.^[10][3] A Limburg glossary of 1240 renders Latin discumbere “to recline at table” as sitten eten, “sit eating”; the construction of zitten with another verb led to the modern zitten te + infinitive for an ongoing action.^[10][3][1]

Many phrases were formed with zitten and a preposition.^[2] Op de tafel zitten, to work as a tailor, who sat cross-legged on his table, is recorded in 1695 and is now obsolete.^[2] Op het kussen zitten, to hold office in a town or state government, refers to the cushions with coats of arms on which magistrates sat;^[11] Stoett finds it from the 17th century.^[11] Modern dictionaries add the senses “to fit” of clothes and “to serve a prison sentence”.^[12][1] A newer use, er zit iets in, “something is to be expected”, was noted as a neologism in the 1960s: een bedevaart zit er dus niet in, “so a pilgrimage is out of the question” (1966).^[13]

Dutch passed the verb on to Afrikaans sit, to Negerhollands (sit, set), Berbice Dutch (sete) and Skepi Dutch (set), and to Javindo (sitten).^[14][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch sitten is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[4][5][15]
• c. 1200 – Middle Dutch sitten is recorded in the Rhineland.^[10]
• 1240 – A Limburg glossary gives sitten eten for Latin discumbere.^[10][15]
• 1531 – A Bible translation has the king come sittende op een ionge van een Ezelinne, “sitting on a young ass”.^[2]
• 1695 – Op de tafel zitten “to work as a tailor” is recorded.^[2]
• 1966 – Er zit iets (niet) in “something is (not) to be expected” is recorded.^[13]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sit, to rest on one's buttocks: Opa zit graag in zijn leunstoel bij het raam.^[12][16][1]
2. To be, to be located somewhere: De sleutels zitten in mijn jaszak.^[12][1]
3. (of clothes) To fit: Dat nieuwe jasje zit je perfect.^[12]
4. (auxiliary, with te) Expresses an ongoing action: Ze zat de hele avond te lezen.^[1][17]
5. (informal) To be in prison, to serve a sentence: Hij heeft drie jaar gezeten.^[12][1]
6. (Netherlands, office jargon) To meet, to have a meeting about something.^[1]

Word family

• bezitten
• gezeten
• zitbank
• zitbeen
• zitje
• zitkamer
• zitpenning
• zitplaats
• zittenblijver
• zitting
• zitvlak
• zitvlees
• zit

Related words

• zetel
• zetten
• zeet
• nest
• zadel
• English sit
• German sitzen

Usage notes

Ga maar op de blauwe steen zitten!, “go and sit on the blue stone”, was a Gelderland way of telling someone to clear off, recorded in 1974; the blue stone in Nijmegen and Leiden marked where condemned people were executed.^[18] Iets zit er niet aan means that one cannot afford it.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
3. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
5. ^ a b c d e f Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
6. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
8. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
9. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
10. ^ a b c d e Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
11. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
12. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
13. ^ a b Reinsma, R. (1975), Signalement van nieuwe woorden, Amsterdam: Elsevier
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
16. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
17. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
18. ^ Sterkenburg, P. G. J. van (2001), Vloeken: een cultuurbepaalde reactie op woede, irritatie en frustratie, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu