What’s the connotation of stand in “stand corrected”?

Stand corrected:

Agree that one was wrong, as in I stand corrected—we did go to Finland in 1985.

This set phrase is quite old and dates back to the mid-17th century according di the AHD:

This idiom was first recorded in John Dryden's The Maiden Queen (1668): “I stand corrected, and myself reprove.”

Stand has many connotations as etymonline notes which have evolved or changed through the centuries:

Old English standan "occupy a place; stand firm; congeal; stay, continue, abide; be valid, be, exist, take place; oppose, resist attack”

To my mind the expression conveys the image of standing (on one’s feet) admitting that one is wrong (about something).

What was the connotation that the term had when was first used and that it most likely still retains nowadays?

Solution 1:

stand

What was the connotation that the term had when was first used and that it most likely still retains nowadays?

The sense of being in a state/condition or existing appears to be the connotation(s) used in I stand corrected.

From OED, to stand

To be or remain in the specified condition; e.g. to stand committed, indebted, pledged. Also with adjective of state or condition, e.g. to stand free, to stand alone (in an opinion, a contest, course of action, etc.); to stand mute (see mute adj. 1). Usually with reference to a condition resulting from an engagement or a decision, or ascertained by survey of a situation. I stand corrected: I accept or acknowledge the correction; so I stand reproved.

Solution 2:

stand has been used as an auxiliary, which can still be seen occasionally in "I stand cooking". So it might just mean "I am". This also appears in Dutch, and similarly even in Latin so it might appear somewhat archaic.

However, the expression has a certain connotation, "I have to admit that was wrong", so a bit more of an explanation would be needed.

I don't think we will find it in German, but I always like to note: We say "I understand" so maybe there's a closer connection of "stand" to having gained a correct understanding. German has equivalently "verstehen", but quite differently "unterstehen" (to desist), "unter-stellen" (to stand below, to find shelter from rain, also figuratively for hierarchy) and "unterstellen" (to make assumptions, allegations). Latin "sum" simply means "I am" (which is difficult to compare with "assume"). Still, Latin comes pretty close with "teneo" (I hold, grasp, at-tain) if we assume an initial s- that had been irregularly lost, as happened quite often. So in that sense, we have a sense of "I take it, I hold, I assume that is correct and I wasn't". German also has "anerkennen" (acknowledge), "anerkannt" (well recognized, known), where "an-er-" would appear to be two prepositive prefixes, which is rather unusual (OK that's a weak argument, but funny still), which does rhyme with "un'er-" (e.g. in Cockney; y'un'erstand?).

Really weird though is Ger. "gestehen" (admit), "Geständnis" (confession). The prefix "ge-" would be equivalent to old English "y-" (e.g. "enough", "yclept"), which has been largely dropped, though. So it's possible that this was once ystand (which would be especially prone to elision in "I ystand"). That should be fairly easy to check in old sources (older than gbooks; the uses they find are largely religious "My Lord, I stand corrected"), whether as "I ystand corrected", which doesn't appear to make a ton of sense to me, or in any other way. "gestehen" might be comparable to "gestanden" (grown up, eventually well recognized) and to "eingestehen" (confess; synonym "bekennen"). Add to that, "the stand" is literally the seat in which to confess.

Conclusion

Given "Geständnis" and the Latin associations, I suppose this specific idiom was carried on through religious practices.

Edit: Anstand means decency, or policy (archaic), though in terms of nobility and "Ständegesellschaft" (rank society), it might mean "good standing", I guess. In that sense, I stand corrected might be an allusion to rank. Which doesn't contradict the allusio to "gestehen" if it means assuming rank, becoming honest.

But why stand? Well, consider "Stellung, Einstellung" (position, alignment), and that "Stunde" (hour) could only come from "Sonnen-Stand" (sun altitude) and that Germans stand their clocks, i.e. adjust the time (die Uhr stellen). Since stellen and stand are so highly yielding, I could go on and on.