Zitten

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To be positioned on a seat or surface with the body supported by the buttocks and typically the thighs ; to occupy a place or situation temporarily or for a period of time ; to be situated or located in a particular area or position
2. To rest with the lower body on a chair, bench, or similar object ; to hold a certain role or post ; to remain fixed in a specific spot or context
3. To assume a seated posture by placing weight on the lower backside ; to take up a designated spot or attendance ; to exist or lie in a certain place or condition

Etymology: "Zitten" is the Dutch and German infinitive "to sit," and it is not an English word, so the story here is about its ancestry rather than English usage. The Dutch and German verbs descend from Proto-Germanic "*sitjaną," which also gave English "sit." The English word comes from Old English "sittan," so "sit" and "zitten" are cognates, related words that have drifted apart in spelling and sound over roughly 1,500 years of separate development. The Dutch "zitten" shows the sound change most clearly. Dutch and German spell the old "s" sound at the start of "sitten" differently, and Dutch has "zitten" with a "z" sound, reflecting the pronunciation shift that also separated German "sitzen" from English "sit." The Dutch word "zit" ("seat" or "sitting") and the English "sit" share a root with a number of other Germanic words for settling, staying, or dwelling.

Synonyms: sit, rest

Antonyms: stand, rise