Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SEAT, n. [It. sedia; Sp. sede, sitio, from L. sedes, situs; Sw. säte; Dan. sæde; G. sitz; D. zetel, zitplaats; W. sêz; Ir. saidh; W. with a prefix, gosod, whence gosodi, to set. See Set and Sit. The English seat retains the Roman pronunciation of situs, that is, seetus.]

1. That on which one sits; a chair, bench, stool, or any other thing on which a person sits. Christ … overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves. – Matth. xxi.
2. The place of sitting; throne; chair of state; tribunal; post of authority; as, the seat of justice; judgment-seat.
3. Mansion; residence; dwelling; abode; as, Italy the seat of empire. The Greeks sent colonies to seek a new seat in Gaul. In Alba he shall fix his royal seat. – Dryden.
4. Site; situation. The seat of Eden has never been incontrovertibly ascertained.
5. That part of a saddle on which a person sits.
6. In horsemanship, the posture or situation of a person on horseback. – Encyc.
7. A pew or slip in a church; a place to sit in.
8. The place where a thing is settled or established. London is the seat of business and opulence. So we say, the seat of the muses, the seat of arts, the seat of commerce.