sitten

See also Sitten

English

Alternative forms

• sittin

Etymology

From Middle English siten, seten, from Old English seten, ġeseten, past participle of sittan (“to sit”). Cognate with Dutch gezeten, German gesessen.

Verb

sitten

1. (archaic, UK dialectal) Past participle of sit; alternative form of sat.
   • 1810, Legh Richmond, The fathers of the English church:

     For though we your brethren, who heretofore by our vocation have sitten in the chair of Moses, and be ghostly captains as Moses and Joshua unto you; [...]

Adjective

sitten (comparative more sitten, superlative most sitten)

1. (UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) Seated.
   • a1513, W. Dunbar, Poems (1998) 155:

     The tailȝeour was no thing weill sittin, He left the sadill.

   • c1560, A. Scott, Poems (S.T.S.) ii. 38:

     He micht counter Will on horss, For Sym wes bettir sittin Nor Will.

2. Settled; stationary; not easily stirred or moved.
   • 1671, J. Livingston, Let. to Parishoners Ancram 15:

     Their fire edge might help to kindle-up old sitten-up professours.

Derived terms

• well-sitten
• sitten-up

Anagrams

• ettins

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Finnish

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: sit‧ten
• IPA: [ˈsitːen]

Adverb

sitten

1. then (when referring to temporal, logical or other order).
2. when or whenever (in the expression "sitten, kun"):

   • Sitten, kun jään eläkkeelle...
     • When I retire..
   • Lähdemme sitten, kun olet valmis.
     • We’ll go whenever you’re ready.

3. (in certain interjections) what:

   entä sitten? = so what?

   mitä sitten? = then what?

4. ago:

   kauan sitten = long time ago

   tunti sitten = one hour ago

5. without a definite meaning, as an expletive in subordinate clauses that include tahansa and -kin and that are translated with whoever, whomever, whatever, wherever:

   • Kenelle tahansa sen (sitten) annatkin, älä anna sitä minulle.
     • Whomever you give it to, don't give it to me.

Preposition

sitten (+ genitive)

1. since

   • Emme ole tavanneet sitten viime vuoden.
     • We haven't met since last year.

Anagrams

• sentit, sentti

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Low German

Etymology

From Old Saxon sittian, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sed-. Cognate with Dutch zitten, German sitzen, English sit, West Frisian sitte, Danish sidde.

Verb

sitten

1. (Low saxon) to sit

Conjugation

Conjugation of sitten

indicative	present	preterite
1st person singular	sit	seat
2nd person singular	sitst	seatst
3rd person singular	sitt	seat
plural	sitt	sêten
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	sitte	sête
2nd person singular	sittest	sêtest
3rd person singular	sitte	sête
plural	sitten	sêten
imperative	present	—
singular	sit
plural	sitt
participle	present	past
	sittend	(e)seten

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Middle English

Etymology

From Old English sittan.

Verb

sitten

1. to sit

Descendants

• English: sit