Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/sitъ

• *sitь m or f, *sita

Explained as identical to *sětь (“net”) and Latvian saĩte (“string, cord, tie, leash”), Lithuanian siẽtas, saĩtas (“tie”), Old Prussian saytan (“strap, belt”), Proto-Germanic *saiþa- (→ Old High German seid (“cord”)).

However based on a dialectal variant сита́рь (sitárʹ), also сита́ль (sitálʹ), in Russian, as well as by reason of си́тникъ (sítnik) often meaning wheaten bread, Vasmer declared it borrowed from Ancient Greek σιτάριον (sitárion), σῖτος (sîtos, “corn”), in Greek σιτάρι (sitári, “wheat”).

*sĩtъ m[1]

1. rush (Juncus)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: ситникъ (sitnikŭ), ситие (sitie), сѣтникъ (sětnikŭ)
    • Belarusian: сіт (sit, “Juncus”); сіто́ўник (sitóŭnik, “Pycreus”); сі́тник (sítnik) and сітня́к (sitnják, “Scirpus spp.”); сыць (sycʹ, “Cyperus”)
    • Russian: си́тник (sítnik, “Juncus”); сито́вник (sitóvnik, “Pycreus”); сыть (sytʹ) and less commonly сить (sitʹ), obsoletely in dialects сит (sit), are used for Cyperus
    • Ukrainian: си́тни́к (sýtnýk, “Juncus”); ; сить (sytʹ, “Cyperus”); ситівни́к (sytivnýk, “Pycreus”); оситня́к (osytnják, “Juncus”); ситня́г (sytnjáh) and rarer сітня́г (sitnjáh, “Eleocharis”); dialect words: сито́вина (sytóvyna, “Scirpus spp.”), сіто́вина (sitóvyna, “Juncus spp.”)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: си́та (síta, “Juncus”), си́тка (sítka, “Scirpus”)
  • Serbo-Croatian: (“rush”)

    Cyrillic script: си̑т

    Latin script: sȋt

  • Slovene: sȋt (“rush”), site, sȋtje, sitína
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: sítie, sít (“rush”)
    • Czech: sítí (dated), ⇒ sítina (“rush”)
  • Polish: sit
  • Slovak: sitina, sitie
  • Sorbian:

    Lower Sorbian: syś, syśe, syśina

    Upper Sorbian: syćina f, syćizna f, syćinka f, syćel f, syće n, syćo n

• Racheva, M., Todorov, T. A., editors (2002), “сѝта”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 6 (пỳскам – словàр²), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 706 gives *sitъ, *sita
• Miklosich, Franz (1886) Etymologisches Wörterbuch der slavischen Sprachen (in German), Vienna: Wilhelm Braumüller, page 296 gives *sitъ
• Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928) “syś”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008 gives *sitь
• Vasmer, Max (1906) Греко-славянскіе этюды. I. Основные вопросы изъ области греко-славянскихъ отношеній. (Извѣстія Отдѣленія русскаго языка и словесности Императорской Академіи наукъ; XI, book 2)‎ (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, page 397
• Vasmer, Max (1909) Греко-славянскіе этюды. III. Греческія заимствованія въ русскомъ языкѣ (Сборникъ Отдѣленія русскаго языка и словесности Императорской Академіи наукъ; LXXXVI, № 1)‎ (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, page 179
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (2006), “сить”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volumes 5 (Р – Т), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, →ISBN, page 246- gives *sitъ, *sita; they deem Ukrainian сить (sytʹ, “Claviceps purpurea; Ustilago segetum”) unrelated.)