sit up

sit-up

[sit-uhp]
noun
an exercise in which a person lies flat on the back, lifts the torso to a sitting position, and then lies flat again without changing the position of the legs: formerly done with the legs straight but now usually done with the knees bent.
Origin:
1835–45; noun use of verb phrase sit up

Dictionary.com Unabridged

sit

1 [sit] verb, sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.
verb (used without object)
1.
to rest with the body supported by the buttocks or thighs; be seated.
2.
to be located or situated: The house sits well up on the slope.
3.
to rest or lie (usually followed by on or upon ): An aura of greatness sits easily upon him.
4.
to place oneself in position for an artist, photographer, etc.; pose: to sit for a portrait.
5.
to remain quiet or inactive: They let the matter sit.
6.
(of a bird) to perch or roost.
7.
(of a hen) to cover eggs to hatch them; brood.
8.
to fit, rest, or hang, as a garment: The jacket sits well on your shoulders.
9.
to occupy a place or have a seat in an official assembly or in an official capacity, as a legislator, judge, or bishop.
10.
to be convened or in session, as an assembly.
11.
to act as a baby-sitter.
12.
(of wind) to blow from the indicated direction: The wind sits in the west tonight.
13.
to be accepted or considered in the way indicated: Something about his looks just didn't sit right with me.
14.
Informal. to be acceptable to the stomach: Something I ate for breakfast didn't sit too well.
15.
Chiefly British. to take a test or examination: I’m studying now, and I plan to sit in June.
verb (used with object)
16.
to cause to sit; seat (often followed by down ): Sit yourself down. He sat me near him.
17.
to sit astride or keep one's seat on (a horse or other animal): She sits her horse gracefully.
18.
to provide seating accommodations or seating room for; seat: Our dining-room table only sits six people.
19.
Informal. to serve as baby-sitter for: A neighbor can sit the children while you go out.
20.
Chiefly British. to take (a test or examination): She finally received permission to sit the exam at a later date.
Verb phrases
21.
sit down,
a.
to take a seat.
b.
to descend to a sitting position; alight.
c.
to take up a position, as to encamp or besiege: The military forces sat down at the approaches to the city.
22.
sit in,
a.
to attend or take part as a visitor or temporary participant: to sit in at a bridge game; to sit in for the band's regular pianist.
b.
to take part in a sit-in.
23.
sit in on, to be a spectator, observer, or visitor at: to sit in on classes.
24.
sit onupon,
a.
to inquire into or deliberate over: A coroner's jury was called to sit on the case.
b.
Informal. to suppress; silence: They sat on the bad news as long as they could.
c.
Informal. to check or rebuke; squelch: I'll sit on him if he tries to interrupt me.
25.
sit out,
a.
to stay to the end of: Though bored, we sat out the play.
b.
to surpass in endurance: He sat out his tormentors.
c.
to keep one's seat during (a dance, competition, etc.); fail to participate in: We sat out all the Latin-American numbers.
26.
sit up,
a.
to rise from a supine to a sitting position.
b.
to delay the hour of retiring beyond the usual time.
c.
to sit upright; hold oneself erect.
d.
Informal. to become interested or astonished: We all sat up when the holiday was announced.
Idioms
27.
sit on one's hands,
a.
to fail to applaud.
b.
to fail to take appropriate action.
28.
sit pretty, Informal. to be in a comfortable situation: He's been sitting pretty ever since he got that new job.
29.
sit tight, to bide one's time; take no action: I'm going to sit tight till I hear from you.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English sitten, Old English sittan; cognate with Dutch zitten, German sitzen, Old Norse sitja; akin to Gothic sitan, Latin sedēre, Greek hézesthai (base hed-); cf. set, sedate, cathedral, nest

Synonyms
10. meet, assemble, convene, gather.

Usage note
Compare set.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To sit up
00:10
Sit up is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
sit (sɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb , sits, sitting, sat
1.  (also tr; when intr, often foll by down, in, or on) to adopt or rest in a posture in which the body is supported on the buttocks and thighs and the torso is more or less upright: to sit on a chair; sit a horse
2.  (tr) to cause to adopt such a posture
3.  (of an animal) to adopt or rest in a posture with the hindquarters lowered to the ground
4.  (of a bird) to perch or roost
5.  (of a hen or other bird) to cover eggs to hatch them; brood
6.  to be situated or located
7.  (of the wind) to blow from the direction specified
8.  to adopt and maintain a posture for one's portrait to be painted, etc
9.  to occupy or be entitled to a seat in some official capacity, as a judge, elected representative, etc
10.  (of a deliberative body) to be convened or in session
11.  to remain inactive or unused: his car sat in the garage for a year
12.  to rest or lie as specified: the nut was sitting so awkwardly that he couldn't turn it
13.  (of a garment) to fit or hang as specified: that dress sits well on you
14.  to weigh, rest, or lie as specified: greatness sits easily on him
15.  chiefly (Brit) (tr) to take (an examination): he's sitting his bar finals
16.  chiefly (Brit) (usually foll by for) to be a candidate (for a qualification): he's sitting for a BA
17.  (intr; in combination) to look after a specified person or thing for someone else: granny-sit
18.  (tr) to have seating capacity for
19.  informal sitting pretty well placed or established financially, socially, etc
20.  sit tight
 a.  to wait patiently; bide one's time
 b.  to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly
 
[Old English sittan; related to Old Norse sitja, Gothic sitan, Old High German sizzen, Latin sedēre to sit, Sanskrit sīdati he sits]

SIT
 
—abbreviation for
stay in touch

sit up
 
—vb
1.  to raise (oneself or another) from a recumbent to an upright or alert sitting posture
2.  (intr) to remain out of bed and awake, esp until a late hour
3.  informal (intr) to become suddenly interested or alert: devaluation of the dollar made the money market sit up
 
—n
4.  Also: trunk curl a physical exercise in which the body is brought into a sitting position from one lying on the back

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sit
O.E. sittan "to be seated, to seat oneself" (class V strong verb; past tense sæt, pp. seten), from P.Gmc. *setjanan (cf. O.S. sittian, O.N. sitja, O.Fris. sitta, M.Du. sitten, Du. zitten, O.H.G. sizzan, Ger. sitzen, Goth. sitan), from PIE base *sed- "to sit" (see
sedentary). In ref. to a legislative assembly, from 1518. Meaning "to baby-sit" is recorded from 1966. Sitting room first recorded 1771. Slang sitting duck "easy target" first recorded 1944; lit. sense is from 1867 (it is considered not sporting to shoot at one). Sitting pretty is from 1921. To sit on one's hands was originally "to withhold applause" (1926); later, "to do nothing" (1959). To sit around "be idle, do nothing" is 1915, Amer.Eng. To sit out "not take part" is from 1626.

sit-up
kind of physical exercise, 1955.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
SIT
Slovenia—tolar (currency)
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

sit up

  1. Rise to a sitting position from lying down, as in The sick child sat up and asked for a drink of water. [Early 1200s]

  2. Stay up later than usual, as in The nurse sat up with her all night long. [Mid-1500s]

  3. Sit with the spine erect, as in She was always telling the students to sit up. [Early 1700s]

  4. Become suddenly alert, as in The students sat up when he brought up the test. The same sense appears in the related sit up and take notice, as in When he mentioned the arrival of a movie star, they all sat up and took notice. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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