sedeo

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *sedēō, from earlier *sedējō, from Proto-Indo-European *sed-éh₁-ye-ti (eh₁-stative), from Proto-Indo-European *sed-, the same root as sīdō (“I settle, I sink down”).

Cognates include Sanskrit सीदति (sī́dati), Old Church Slavonic сѣдѣти (sěděti), Old English sittan (English sit).

The perfect sēdī was originally the perfect of the related third-conjugation verb sīdō; this can be seen in how prefixed derivatives of sīdō use sēdī to form their perfects. The same fact is also demonstrated by Umbrian cognates, which feature 𐌔𐌉𐌔𐌕𐌖 (sistu, 3sg. imp.) (from present stem *sizd-) alongside future perfect sesust (from perfect stem *sezd-).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈsɛ.de.oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈsɛː.d̪e.o]

Verb

sedeō (present infinitive sedēre, perfect active sēdī, supine sessum); second conjugation, impersonal in the passive

1. to sit, to be seated
2. to sit in an official seat; sit in council or court, hold court, preside
3. to keep the field, remain encamped
4. to settle or sink down, subside
5. to sit still; remain, tarry, stay, abide, linger, loiter; sit around
6. (figuratively) to hold or hang fast or firm; to be established, settled, fixed, determined, resolved
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.15:

     “Sī mihi nōn animō fīxum immōtumque sedēret, [...].”

     “If for me it were not resolved — in my mind, fixed and immovable — [...].”

7. (Medieval Latin, Ibero-Romance) to be

   Pueri claustrales et bachalarii descendant in fine scalæ dormitorii, et illic sedeant.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Conjugation

This verb lacks almost all passive forms. Only the third-person singular passive forms are known.

   Conjugation of sedeō (second conjugation, impersonal in the passive)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	sedeō		sedēs		sedet		sedēmus		sedētis		sedent
	imperfect	sedēbam		sedēbās		sedēbat		sedēbāmus		sedēbātis		sedēbant
	future	sedēbō		sedēbis		sedēbit		sedēbimus		sedēbitis		sedēbunt
	perfect	sēdī		sēdistī		sēdit		sēdimus		sēdistis		sēdērunt, sēdēre
	pluperfect	sēderam		sēderās		sēderat		sēderāmus		sēderātis		sēderant
	future perfect	sēderō		sēderis		sēderit		sēderimus		sēderitis		sēderint
passive	present	—		—		sedētur		—		—		—
	imperfect	—		—		sedēbātur		—		—		—
	future	—		—		sedēbitur		—		—		—
	perfect	—		—		sessum est		—		—		—
	pluperfect	—		—		sessum erat		—		—		—
	future perfect	—		—		sessum erit		—		—		—
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	sedeam		sedeās		sedeat		sedeāmus		sedeātis		sedeant
	imperfect	sedērem		sedērēs		sedēret		sedērēmus		sedērētis		sedērent
	perfect	sēderim		sēderīs		sēderit		sēderīmus		sēderītis		sēderint
	pluperfect	sēdissem		sēdissēs		sēdisset		sēdissēmus		sēdissētis		sēdissent
passive	present	—		—		sedeātur		—		—		—
	imperfect	—		—		sedērētur		—		—		—
	perfect	—		—		sessum sit		—		—		—
	pluperfect	—		—		sessum esset		—		—		—
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		sedē		—		—		sedēte		—
	future	—		sedētō		sedētō		—		sedētōte		sedentō
passive	future	—		—		sedētor		—		—		—
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		sedēre			sedērī			sedēns			—
future		sessūrum esse			sessum īrī			sessūrus			sedendum
perfect		sēdisse			sessum esse			—			sessum
future perfect		—			sessum fore			—			—
perfect potential		sessūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		sedendī		sedendō		sedendum		sedendō		sessum		sessū

Derived terms

• assideō
• circumsedeō
• dēsideō
• dissideō
• duābus sellīs sedeō
• īnsideō
• obsideō
• persedeō
• possideō
• praesideō
• resideō
• sedēns
• sedentārius
• sēdēs
• sedibilis
• sedīle
• sedimen
• sedimentum
• sēdō
• sēdulus
• sella
• sessibulum
• sessilis
• sessim
• sessimonium
• sessiō
• sessitō
• sessor
• sessus
• supersedeō

Descendants

• Balkano-Romance:
  • Aromanian: shed, shideari
  • Istro-Romanian: șed
  • Megleno-Romanian: șǫd, șădęri
  • Romanian: ședea, ședere
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: sedere
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Romansch: seser, ser, sezzer
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: seure
  • French: seoir
  • Occitan: sèire, sièire
    • Gascon: sèser, séter, ser
• Ibero-Romance (subsequently merged into descendants of essere):
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: seer
  • Old Spanish: seer, ser
    • Spanish: seer
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: sèdere, sèere, sei, sèiri, sere

References

• “sedeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sedeo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “sedeo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) to be on horseback: in equo sedere; equo insidēre
    
  • (ambiguous) to sit with folded arms; to be inactive: compressis manibus sedere (proverb.) (Liv. 7. 13)
    
  • (ambiguous) to hold the reins of government: ad gubernacula (metaph. only in plur.) rei publicae sedere
    
  • (ambiguous) the seat of war, theatre of operations: belli sedes (Liv. 4. 31)