oversit

From Middle English oversitten (“to gain possession of”), from Old English ofersittan (“to occupy, possess; forbear”), from Proto-West Germanic *ubarsittjan (“to sit over, occupy, preside over”), corresponding to over- +‎ sit. Cognate with Middle Low German ōversitten, ȫversitten (“to attend, partake; advise, discuss; miss”), Middle Dutch oversitten (“to overstay; meet about, discuss”), Middle High German übersitzen (“to sit across from, occupy; disregard, neglect; exceed, miss”).

• IPA^(key): /ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈsɪt/

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oversit (third-person singular simple present oversits, present participle oversitting, simple past and past participle oversat)

1. To preside over, govern, rule; to control.
2. To conquer, gain control or owndom of.
   • 1903, Robert Smith Surtees, Handley Cross‎:

     Let me, however, entreat of you, above all things, to remember my ball, and do not let them oversit the thing so as not to get to it.

3. To grasp, comprehend; to understand.
   • 2008, Joseph Hennaleigh, The Spirit of Morph Code‎, →ISBN:

     To Oversit Is to Understand

4. (archaic) To neglect, omit; to desist, refrain from, forbear.
   • 1881, Thomas Edward Bridgett, History of the Holy Eucharist in Great Britain‎:

     And he greatly reproaches those who ' forget or oversit the time of housel,' […]

5. (archaic) To overstay, outstay, overlinger.
6. (intransitive) To sit too much.
   • 2016 September 14, Gretchen Reynolds, “Why Fidgeting Is Good Medicine”, in The New York Times‎:

     Studies of movement patterns indicate that most of us spend between eight and 10 hours each day seated. During that time, our bodies and, in particular, our legs barely move. […] But the most immediate impact of oversitting is on our vasculature. Studies show that uninterrupted sitting causes an abrupt and significant decline in blood flow to the legs.

7. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (slang, humorous) To misunderstand.

   Nobody understands me; they all oversit me.

• overset

• Restivo, Treviso, torsive, treviso