The Collaborative International Dictionary
Sit \Sit\, v. i. [imp. Sat( Sate, archaic); p. p. Sat ( Sitten, obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Sitting.] [OE. sitten, AS. sittan; akin to OS. sittian, OFries. sitta, D. zitten, G. sitzen, OHG. sizzen, Icel. sitja, SW. sitta, Dan. sidde, Goth. sitan, Russ. sidiete, L. sedere, Gr. ???, Skr. sad. [root]154. Cf. Assess, Assize, Cathedral, Chair, Dissident, Excise, Insidious, Possess, Reside, Sanhedrim, Seance, Seat, n., Sedate, 4th Sell, Siege, Session, Set, v. t., Sizar, Size, Subsidy.]
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To rest upon the haunches, or the lower extremity of the trunk of the body; -- said of human beings, and sometimes of other animals; as, to sit on a sofa, on a chair, or on the ground.
And he came and took the book put of the right hand of him that sate upon the seat.
--Bible (1551) (Rev. v. 7.)I pray you, jest, sir, as you sit at dinner.
--Shak. To perch; to rest with the feet drawn up, as birds do on a branch, pole, etc.
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To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition.
And Moses said to . . . the children of Reuben, Shall your brothren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
--Num. xxxii. 6.Like a demigod here sit I in the sky.
--Shak. -
To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh; -- with on; as, a weight or burden sits lightly upon him.
The calamity sits heavy on us.
--Jer. Taylor. -
To be adjusted; to fit; as, a coat sts well or ill.
This new and gorgeous garment, majesty, Sits not so easy on me as you think.
--Shak. To suit one well or ill, as an act; to become; to befit; -- used impersonally. [Obs.]
--Chaucer.-
To cover and warm eggs for hatching, as a fowl; to brood; to incubate.
As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not.
--Jer. xvii. 11. -
To have position, as at the point blown from; to hold a relative position; to have direction.
Like a good miller that knows how to grind, which way soever the wind sits.
--Selden.Sits the wind in that quarter?
--Sir W. Scott. To occupy a place or seat as a member of an official body; as, to sit in Congress.
To hold a session; to be in session for official business; -- said of legislative assemblies, courts, etc.; as, the court sits in January; the aldermen sit to-night.
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To take a position for the purpose of having some artistic representation of one's self made, as a picture or a bust; as, to sit to a painter. To sit at, to rest under; to be subject to. [Obs.] ``A farmer can not husband his ground so well if he sit at a great rent''. --Bacon. To sit at meat or To sit at table, to be at table for eating. To sit down.
To place one's self on a chair or other seat; as, to sit down when tired.
To begin a siege; as, the enemy sat down before the town.
To settle; to fix a permanent abode.
--Spenser.-
To rest; to cease as satisfied. ``Here we can not sit down, but still proceed in our search.'' --Rogers. To sit for a fellowship, to offer one's self for examination with a view to obtaining a fellowship. [Eng. Univ.] To sit out.
To be without engagement or employment. [Obs.]
--Bp. Sanderson.-
To outstay.
To sit under, to be under the instruction or ministrations of; as, to sit under a preacher; to sit under good preaching.
To sit up, to rise from, or refrain from, a recumbent posture or from sleep; to sit with the body upright; as, to sit up late at night; also, to watch; as, to sit up with a sick person. ``He that was dead sat up, and began to speak.''
--Luke vii. 15.
Usage examples of "to sit down".
One of these days, I may have to sit down with him for a good long talk.
The ascent grew more and more exhausting, so much so that he had frequently to sit down, utterly crushed by his own dead weight.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
Sooner or later, they were going to have to sit down and iron out their problems .
Sooner or later, they were going to have to sit down and iron out their problems .
Yalena was the first person to arrive, not because she wanted to be there early, but because it would be less awful to sit down in a nearly empty room and watch everyone come in than it would be to arrive in a room full of people who hated her, glaring with every step she took trying to get to her desk.
And all the time I know, somewhere in me, that I will never be able to sit down and tell my children that I'm leaving them.
Allan wanted to sit down, but his status as guest of honor forced him to stay on his aching feet.
I forced myself to sit down again and carefully placed my shaking hands over my knees.
Sinclair motioned for the young man to sit down and then returned to behind his desk.
Lewis stood up to go, but Morse's veiled glance told him to sit down again.
Panawe motioned to Maskull to sit down on a pile of ferns, and at the same time reclined himself, leaning on one arm, with outstretched legs.
Winter walked to one of the gilt chairs, and as he was about to sit down he noticed that its tapestry was torn, and he petted the seat with his fingers as though that would mend it.
Do you think it's easy for me to sit down with Dukat and Weyoun every day while they plot the destruction of the Federation?