sitting
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a period of time where you stay in one place to finish a task.
n.a continuous period of time spent engaged in a specific activity without interruption.
Simple“The book was so exciting that I read the whole thing in one sitting.”
In context“The artist required three separate sittings to capture the subtle play of light on the subject's face for the portrait.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a formal meeting of a group of people like a court or a parliament.
n.a formal session of a legislative body, court of law, or committee.
Simple“The court's next sitting will take place on Monday morning.”
In context“During the final sitting of the parliamentary session, several controversial amendments were pushed through with minimal debate.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
adj.someone who is currently holding an official position or job.
adj.currently holding a specified office or position; incumbent.
Simple“It is very difficult for a challenger to defeat a sitting president.”
In context“The sitting governor faced intense scrutiny from the press regarding the recent budgetary shortfalls in the education sector.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.done or performed while you are in a chair.
adj.executed or performed from a seated posture.
Simple“The doctor recommended some sitting exercises for his elderly patient.”
In context“The yoga instructor demonstrated a sitting pose designed to stretch the hips and improve spinal alignment.”
Usage sitting alone
“He became the first ever sitting US president to set foot in North Korea when he visited seven years ago.”
“They were talking to each other throughout – no one was sitting with me.”
From Middle English sittyng, sittynge, equivalent to sit + -ing. Cognate with Dutch zitting (“a sitting, session”), German Sitzung (“a sitting, session”), Swedish sittning (“a sitting, session”).
From Middle English sittinge, sittynge, variant of sittinde, sittende, sittande, from Old English sittende (“sitting”), from Proto-Germanic sitjandz (“sitting”), present participle of Proto-Germanic sitjaną (“to sit”), equivalent to sit + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian sittend (“sitting”), Dutch zittend (“sitting”), German sitzend (“sitting”), Swedish sittande (“sitting”), Icelandic sitjandi (“sitting”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.