"thing to sit on, act of sitting," c.1200, from O.N. sæti "seat, position," from P.Gmc. *sæt- (cf. O.H.G. saze, M.Du. gesaete "seat," O.H.G. gisazi, Ger. Gesäß "buttocks"), from PIE base *sed- "to sit" (see sit). The verb is from 1577. Meaning "posterior of the body" (the sitting part) is from 1607; sense of "part of a garment which covers the buttocks" is from 1835. Seat belt is from 1932, originally in airplanes.
"residence, abode, established place," c.1275, extended use of seat (1), influenced by O.Fr. siege "seat, established place," and L. sedes "seat." Meaning "city in which a government sits" is attested from c.1400. Sense of "place in a parliament or other legislative body" is attested from 1774. O.E. had sæt "place where one sits in ambush," which also meant "residents, inhabitants," and is the source of the -set in Dorset and Somerset.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane); "he booked their seats in advance"; "he sat in someone else's place"
2.
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?" [syn: buttocks]
3.
furniture that is designed for sitting on; "there were not enough seats for all the guests"
4.
any support where you can sit (especially the part of a chair or bench etc. on which you sit); "he dusted off the seat before sitting down"
5.
a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised)
6.
the location (metaphorically speaking) where something is based; "the brain is said to be the seat of reason"
7.
the legal right to sit as a member in a legislative or similar body; "he was elected to a seat in the Senate"
8.
a part of a machine that supports or guides another part
9.
the cloth covering for the buttocks; "the seat of his pants was worn through"
verb
1.
show to a seat; assign a seat for; "The host seated me next to Mrs. Smith"
2.
be able to seat; "The theater seats 2,000"
3.
place ceremoniously or formally in an office or position; "there was a ceremony to induct the president of the Academy" [syn: induct]
4.
put a seat on a chair
5.
provide with seats; "seat a concert hall"
6.
place or attach firmly in or on a base; "seat the camera on the tripod"
7.
place in or on a seat; "the mother seated the toddler on the high chair"
Main Entry: 1seat Pronunciation: 'sEt Function: noun : a part or surface especially in dentistry on or in which another part or surface rests
—see REST SEAT
Owning a seat on the NYSE enables one to trade on the floor of the exchange, as an agent
either for someone else (floor broker) or for one's own personal account (floor trader). The phrase "owning a seat on the exchange" originates in a time before 1871, until which the exchange operated
in a 'call-market' fashion, which means stocks were traded individually. With this type of trading, each member would sit in an assigned seat and participate in the buying and selling of desired stocks
as they were called for trading.
Membership on an organized securities exchange. Because the number of seats on an exchange is generally fixed, membership may be acquired only by purchasing a seat from an
existing owner at a negotiated or an offered price.
Seat Pleasant, MD (city, FIPS 70850) Location: 38.89525 N, 76.90251 W Population (1990): 5359 (1809 housing units) Area: 1.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Seat\, n. [OE. sete, Icel. s[ae]ti; akin to Sw. s["a]te, Dan. s[ae]de, MHG. s[=a]ze, AS. set, setl, and E. sit. [root]154. See Sit, and cf. Settle, n.]1. The place or thing upon which one sits; hence; anything made to be sat in or upon, as a chair, bench, stool, saddle, or the like. And Jesus . . . overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves. --Matt. xxi. 12. 2. The place occupied by anything, or where any person or thing is situated, resides, or abides; a site; an abode, a station; a post; a situation. Where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is. --Rev. ii. 13. He that builds a fair house upon an ill seat committeth himself to prison. --Bacon. A seat of plenty, content, and tranquillity. --Macaulay. 3. That part of a thing on which a person sits; as, the seat of a chair or saddle; the seat of a pair of pantaloons. 4. A sitting; a right to sit; regular or appropriate place of sitting; as, a seat in a church; a seat for the season in the opera house. 5. Posture, or way of sitting, on horseback. She had so good a seat and hand she might be trusted with any mount. --G. Eliot. 6. (Mach.) A part or surface on which another part or surface rests; as, a valve seat. Seat worm (Zo["o]l.), the pinworm.
Seat\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Seated; p. pr. & vb. n. Seating.]1. To place on a seat; to cause to sit down; as, to seat one's self. The guests were no sooner seated but they entered into a warm debate. --Arbuthnot. 2. To cause to occupy a post, site, situation, or the like; to station; to establish; to fix; to settle. Thus high . . . is King Richard seated. --Shak. They had seated themselves in New Guiana. --Sir W. Raleigh. 3. To assign a seat to, or the seats of; to give a sitting to; as, to seat a church, or persons in a church. 4. To fix; to set firm. From their foundations, loosening to and fro, They plucked the seated hills. --Milton. 5. To settle; to plant with inhabitants; as to seat a country. [Obs.] --W. Stith. 6. To put a seat or bottom in; as, to seat a chair.
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.]1. 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. 2. To perch; to rest with the feet drawn up, as birds do on a branch, pole, etc. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. To suit one well or ill, as an act; to become; to befit; -- used impersonally. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. To occupy a place or seat as a member of an official body; as, to sit in Congress. 10. 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. 11. 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 at table, to be at table for eating. To sit down. (a) To place one's self on a chair or other seat; as, to sit down when tired. (b) To begin a siege; as, the enemy sat down before the town. (c) To settle; to fix a permanent abode. --Spenser. (d) 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. (a) To be without engagement or employment. [Obs.] --Bp. Sanderson. (b) 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.
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