▪ I. settee1 Now only Hist.
(səˈtiː)
Forms: 6 settea, 7 sattie, -y, satia, sett(y)e, 7–8 sattee, 8 cettee, saetia, setye, 7– settee.
[a. It. saettia (pronounced (-ˈtia)), ‘a very speedie pinnace’ (Florio 1598), of obscure origin, commonly viewed as f. saetta arrow. Cf. F. scétie, setie, scitie.]
A decked vessel, with a long sharp prow, carrying two or three masts with a kind of lateen sails, in use in the Mediterranean. Also attrib. settee-sail (see quot. 1794).
In some of the early quots. the vessel appears to have been a fairly large merchant ship.
| 1587 T. Sanders Voy. Tripoli C iv, M. Barton with all the residue of his companie departed from Tripolie to Oezant in a vessell called a Settea of one Marcus Segoorus. 1628 Digby Voy. Mediterr. (Camden) 13 To take that opportunitie to cleanse my shippes and to furnish myselfe with a sattie and other necessaries, and to change my ballast. 1653 H. Appleton Fight Legorn-Road 1 The Warwick..takes a French Sattee coming in to the Road. 1665 Oxf. Gaz. No. 17/4 A Sette came also from Malaga, a Vessel rarely seen in these parts; she is about fifty Tuns, and her Masts like a pair of Taylors Sheers opened. 1667 Lond. Gaz. No. 133/1 An English Satia from Tangier. 1686 W. Hedges Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 237 We came up and spoke with a French Settee of Marseles. 1712 Blinston in Lond. Gaz. No. 5026/6 Three Martineco Ships, a Cettee and Gavilan. 1755 Acts Gen. Assembly Georgia (1881) 53 For every Ship Twenty Seven Shillings and Sixpence for every Snow Brig Polacre or Saetia [printed Sactia] Twenty Two Shillings and Six pence for every Sloop or Schooner [etc.]. 1786 in Amer. St. Papers (1833) I. 107, 1 Setye of 34 guns. 1794 Rigging & Seamanship I. 136 Boat's Settee Sail. This sail is quadrilateral. The head is bent to a latteen-yard. Ibid. 236 Polacre-settee is a vessel with three masts, usually navigated in the levant or mediterranean,..generally rigged with square-sails upon the main and mizen mast, and a latteen-sail upon the foremast, like a xebec. Ibid. 238 Settee, a vessel used in the mediterranean, rigged and navigated similar to xebecs or galleys, with settee-sails instead of latteen-sails. 1860 Dundonald Autobiog. Seaman (1862) 181 On the 11th [Nov. 1808] we captured a settee. |
▪ II. † settee2 Obs. rare.
[Of unknown origin.]
A double pinner for the head.
| 1688 Holme Armoury ii. 482/1 A Coronet settee..covers the Head, and by doubling it makes it stand at a great height both above and besides the Face. 1692 Scarronides ii. 63 With top-knots fine, to make 'em pretty, With tippet, pallateen and settee. 1694 N. H. Ladies Dict. 11/1 A Settee is only a double Pinner. |
▪ III. settee3
(sɛˈtiː)
[perh. a fanciful variation of settle n.: see -ee2.]
A seat (for indoors) holding two or more persons, with a back and (usually) arms; occasionally also with divisions (see quot. 1784). In America sometimes furnished with rockers.
| 1716 Lond. Gaz. No. 5494/4 All Sorts of Hangings for Rooms and Stair-cases, Chairs, Settees and Screens. 1718 Free-thinker No. 44. 317 The Damask Settee was placed in the Center. 1756 T. Amory Buncle (1825) I. 321 An oak settee, on which his bones lay. 1784 Cowper Task i. 75 Ingenious Fancy..devis'd The soft settee; one elbow at each end, And in the midst an elbow it receiv'd, United yet divided, twain at once. 1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words 336 Settee, a sopha or moveable window-seat; in more modern language called, I believe, conversation stool. I have not heard the word of many years, and believe it is going out. 1839 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. i. Gengulphus, The aforesaid barbe gris..Had been stuff'd in the seat of a kind of settee Or double-arm'd chair. 1888 Eggleston Graysons i. 6 There was a green settee with three rockers beneath and an arm at each end. 1893 Leland Mem. II. 141 An abundance of velvet ‘settees’, or divan sofas. 1895 Stores' Price List 192 Cane Settee. |
b. U.S. (See quot.)
| 1891 Century Dict., Settee,..(b) A small part taken off from a long and large sofa by a kind of arm: thus, a long sofa may have a settee at each end partly cut off from the body of the piece. |
c. settee-bed, a bed that can be folded up so as to form a settee.
| 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) ii, Banc à coucher, a sort of folding bedstead, or settee-bed. 1786 in W. Macgill Old Ross-sh. (1909) 141 Settee bed with blue and white cheque covers. |