situationsituation

Situation comes from Middle French situation, from Medieval Latin situātiō ‘position’, from situō ‘to locate’, perhaps from Latin situs ‘site’.

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-¹‘to settle’reconstructed
2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinéti¹reconstructed
3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō¹‘to put in place’reconstructed
4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsinō¹‘to put, lay; let’
5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsitus²‘site, position’uncertain
6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500situō²‘to locate, place’
7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500situātiō²‘position, situation’
8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600situation²
9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500situacioun²
10. Englishearliest quotation 1801situation²

1. ¹ Wiktionary, Latin situs
2. ² Wiktionary, English situation
3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1801, Timothy Alden, The Glory of America. A Century Sermon: “[…] one of the most pleasant situations in America.…”.