sitting
UK[ˈsɪtɪŋ]US[ˈsɪtɪŋ]
n
A period of time during which a person sits, especially for a specific purpose such as having a portrait painted or for a meeting.
n
A scheduled period of time when a court of law, parliament, or other official body meets to conduct its business.
n
A continuous period of being seated, especially in one place.
Etymology
The word 'sitting' originates from the Old English verb 'sittan', meaning "to occupy a seat, be seated, perch, settle down." This verb has deep Proto-Germanic roots in 'sitjaną' and a Proto-Indo-European ancestor 'sed-', meaning "to sit." The addition of the '-ing' suffix, also from Old English '-ung' or '-ing', forms a verbal noun (gerund) that denotes the action or an instance of the verb. Over time, this gerund solidified into a standard noun with specific, institutionalized meanings, such as a session of a court or a posing for a portrait. Thus, the term evolved from a simple description of posture to encompass formal, scheduled events defined by the act of being seated.
Analysis
The word 'sitting' is a deverbal noun formed from the verb 'sit' (from Old English 'sittan') with the addition of the present participle suffix '-ing'. It is not productively segmented into separate, meaningful morphemes in its current nominal form.
Examples
The artist completed the portrait in just three sittings.
The committee will hold its final sitting before the summer recess.
After a long sitting at his desk, he stood up to stretch his legs.