たたずむ

From Old Japanese. First cited in the Man'yōshū poetry compilation of 759 CE,^[1] with the ideographic spelling of 立住.

Appears to be a compound of 立た (tata-, “standing”, irrealis or incomplete form) +‎ 住む (sumu, “to settle in a place”). The sumu changes to zumu as an instance of rendaku (連(れん)濁(だく)).

The initial tata- is unusual. In regular compound verbs, the first verb takes the continuative or "masu"-stem form, which for 立つ (tatsu) would be 立ち (tachi). We see this in compound verbs 立ち止まる (tachidomaru, “to stop and stand in a place”, literally “standing + stop”) or 立ち竦む (tachisukumu, “to stand paralyzed with fear, to be riveted to the spot with fear”, literally “standing + cower”). The tata- verb stem is instead the irrealis or incomplete form. The reason for this variance is not clear.

• (Tokyo) たたずむ [tàtázúꜜmù] (Nakadaka – [3])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [ta̠ta̠zɨmɯ̟]

たたずむ • (tatazumu) intransitive godan (stem たたずみ (tatazumi), past たたずんだ (tatazunda))

1. [from 759] to remain in a place going back and forth, to loiter, to hang around
2. [from 974] to stand still, to linger in a place

   絶(ぜつ)望(ぼう)の淵(ふち)に佇(たたず)む

   zetsubō no fuchi ni tatazumu

   to wallow in a pit of despair

   (literally, “to stand still in an abyss of despair”)

3. [from 1687] to settle down in a place, to put down roots in a place