Etymograph

English

sit up

Sit up comes from Middle English upsitten ‘to sit up’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500upsitten1‘to sit up’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1900sit up1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English sit up
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1900, Lyman Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: “She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500upsittenWiktionary, English sit up‘to sit up’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1900sit upWiktionary, English sit up. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1900, Lyman Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: “She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and…”

Every English word from Middle English upsitten

Today it means

verb To assume a sitting position from a position lying down.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sit up”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English upsitten / sit up

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