foresit

From fore- (“before”) +‎ sit, sometimes as a calque of Latin praesideō or Old English foresittan.

foresit (third-person singular simple present foresits, present participle foresitting, simple past and past participle foresat)

1. (puristic, rare) To take precedence or superiority over; to preside over.
   • 1607, Thomas Ridley, A View of the Civile and Ecclesiastical Law, […], London: […] [Adam Islip?] for the Company of Stationers, →OCLC, pages 93–94:

     [S]o then as the Pꝛince hath the pꝛimacie in the gouernment of his Common wealth, and all thoſe which gouerne vnder him, gouerne by, and foꝛ him, ſo alſo hath he the pꝛecedency, and pꝛotocleſie, oꝛ foꝛeſitting in all aſſemblies befoꝛe the reſt, and ſuch other as haue pꝛecedencie oꝛ foꝛeſitting, haue it by the Pꝛinces indulgencie.

   • 1852, Alfred the Great, translated by E. Thomson, “King Alfred’s Version of Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation; […]”, in The Whole Works of King Alfred the Great: […], Jubilee edition, volume II, Oxford; Cambridge: […] [F]or the Alfred Committee, by Messrs. J. F. Smith and Co., →OCLC, page 317:

     Of the death of Oswy and Egbert, the kings; and of the Synod which was held at Hertford to which Archbishop Theodore was foresitting.

   • 1891 July, James Chrystal, “The Synod Itself”, in Authoritative Christianity. The First Ecumenical Council; […], volumes I (Which Contains All Its Undisputed Remains in Greek and English), Jersey City, N.J.: James Chrystal, […], →OCLC, page 262:

     Hefele finds that some Roman Bishop is spoken of as praesidens, that is foresitting in other Ecumenical Councils (419), or that Hosius is mentioned as having been a leader (ἡγήσατο) in Councils (420), and he immediately jumps to the conclusion that he was the only foresitter and the only leader, and in brief the Chairman or President of the Council.

• IPA^(key): /ˈfo.reˌsit/

foresit

1. third-person singular present indicative of foresittan