Etymology

First attested as late OE sahtlian, this v. was either formed on saʒte (adj., n.) or directly on the ON v. represented by OIcel sætta 'to reconcile, make peace' formed on the same root (for full discussion of this word-field, see saʒte (adj., n.) and esp. SPS 42-5 and Dance 2003: 372-3) + -l suffix (which Bj. 15 notes is especially frequent in verbs of Scandinavian origin, citing this v. as a example, although there is no surviving Scandinavian parallel). Pons-Sanz (SPS 45) argues that the liquid in this instance might have developed by analogy with other verbs, e.g. OE setlan.

PGmc Ancestor

*saxt- or *sanxt-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

sátt (n.) 'settlement, agreement, concord, peace', sætt (n.) 'reconciliation, agreement'; sætta 'to reconcile, make peace'
(ONP sátt (sb.), sǽtt (sb.); sǽtta (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far sætt, Icel sætt, Norw sætt; Icel sætta, ODan sætæ, OSw sätta

OE Cognate

seht, seaht (n.) 'settlement, agreement'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

B1c

Attestation

First attested in late OE in ?a1160 Peterb.Chron. (LdMisc 636), early citations also incl. Orrm, and although there are some more widespread instances (incl. PP), a N/EM bias is evident.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 230, 445, 1139; Pat 232, 529; WA 865

The instance at Cl 445 could either be identified with ME setlen (thus Anderson), or influenced by it in sense (e.g. Menner, MED; on possible influence on form, see etymological discussion). On the sense of saʒttel with at Pat 529, see AndPat 529n.

Bibliography

MED saughtelen (v.) , MED setlen (v.) , OED saughtel (v.) , HTOED , HTOED , Bj. 15, 100, de Vries sætta, Mag. sætt