set

pronunciation

How to pronounce set in British English: UK [set]word uk audio image

How to pronounce set in American English: US [set] word us audio image

  • Noun:
    a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
    (mathematics) an abstract collection of numbers or symbols
    several exercises intended to be done in series
    representation consisting of the scenery and other properties used to identify the location of a dramatic production
    an unofficial association of people or groups
    a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
    the act of putting something in position
    a unit of play in tennis or squash
    the process of becoming hard or solid by cooling or drying or crystallization
    the descent of a heavenly body below the horizon
    (psychology) a temporary readiness to respond in a particular way
    any electronic equipment that receives or transmits radio or tv signals
  • Verb:
    put into a certain place or abstract location
    fix conclusively or authoritatively
    decide upon or fix definitely
    establish as the highest level or best performance
    put into a certain state; cause to be in a certain state
    fix in a border
    make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
    set to a certain position or cause to operate correctly
    locate
    disappear beyond the horizon
    adapt for performance in a different way
    put or set (seeds or seedlings) into the ground
    apply or start
    become gelatinous
    put into a position that will restore a normal state
    insert (a nail or screw below the surface, as into a countersink)
    give a fine, sharp edge to a knife or razor
    urge a dog to attack someone
    estimate
    equip with sails, masts, etc.
    get ready for a particular purpose or event
    alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
    bear fruit
    arrange attractively
  • Adjective:
    (usually followed by `to' or `for') on the point of or strongly disposed
    fixed and unmoving
    situated in a particular spot or position
    set down according to a plan:"a carefully laid table with places set for four people"
    being below the horizon
    determined or decided upon as by an authority
    converted to solid form (as concrete)

Word Origin

set
set: English has two words set. The verb [OE] is simply the causative version of sit. That is to say, etymologically it means ‘cause to sit’. It comes from a prehistoric Germanic *satjan (source also of German setzen, Dutch zetten, Swedish sätta, and Danish sætte), which was a causative variant of *setjan, ancestor of English sit. Set ‘group’ [14] is essentially the same word as sect.It comes via Old French sette from Latin secta, source of English sect. It originally meant strictly a ‘group of people’, and its far broader modern application, which emerged in the 16th century, is no doubt due to association with the verb set and the notion of ‘setting’ things together.=> sit; sect
set (v.)
Old English settan (transitive) "cause to sit, put in some place, fix firmly; build, found; appoint, assign," from Proto-Germanic *(bi)satjan "to cause to sit, set" (cognates: Old Norse setja, Swedish sätta, Old Saxon settian, Old Frisian setta, Dutch zetten, German setzen, Gothic satjan), causative form of PIE *sod-, variant of *sed- (1) "to sit" (see sit (v.)). Also see set (n.2). Intransitive sense from c. 1200, "be seated." Used in many disparate senses by Middle English; sense of "make or cause to do, act, or be; start" and that of "mount a gemstone" attested by mid-13c. Confused with sit since early 14c. Of the sun, moon, etc., "to go down," recorded from c. 1300, perhaps from similar use of the cognates in Scandinavian languages. To set (something) on "incite to attack" (c. 1300) originally was in reference to hounds and game.
set (adj.)
"fixed," c. 1200, sett, past participle of setten "to set" (see set (v.)). Meaning "ready, prepared" first recorded 1844.
set (n.1)
"collection of things," mid-15c., from Old French sette "sequence," variant of secte "religious community," from Medieval Latin secta "retinue," from Latin secta "a following" (see sect). "[I]n subsequent developments of meaning influenced by SET v.1 and apprehended as equivalent to 'number set together'" [OED]. The noun set was in Middle English, but only in the sense of "religious sect" (late 14c.), which likely is the direct source of some modern meanings, such as "group of persons with shared status, habits, etc." (1680s). Meaning "complete collection of pieces" is from 1680s. Meaning "group of pieces musicians perform at a club during 45 minutes" (more or less) is from c. 1925, though it is found in a similar sense in 1580s. Set piece is from 1846 as "grouping of people in a work of visual art;" from 1932 in reference to literary works.
set (n.2)
"act of setting; condition of being set" (of a heavenly body), mid-14c., from set (v.) or its identical past participle. Many disparate senses collect under this word because of the far-flung meanings assigned to the verb: "Action of hardening," 1837; also "manner or position in which something is set" (1530s), hence "general movement, direction, tendency" (1560s); "build, form" (1610s), hence "bearing, carriage" (1855); "action of fixing the hair in a particular style" (1933). "Something that has been set" (1510s), hence the use in tennis (1570s) and the theatrical meaning "scenery for an individual scene in a play, etc.," recorded from 1859. Other meanings OED groups under "miscellaneous technical senses" include "piece of electrical apparatus" (1891, first in telegraphy); "burrow of a badger" (1898). Old English had set "seat," in plural "camp; stable," but OED finds it "doubtful whether this survived beyond OE." Compare set (n.1). Set (n.1) and set (n.2) are not always distinguished in dictionaries; OED has them as two entries, Century Dictionary as one. The difference of opinion seems to be whether the set meaning "group, grouping" (here (n.2)) is a borrowing of the unrelated French word that sounds like the native English one, or a borrowing of the sense only, which was absorbed into the English word.
Set
Egyptian god, from Greek Seth, from Egyptian Setesh.

Synonym

Antonym

vi.

rise

Example

1. Process languages are a set of activity types .
2. Various continental european countries also set about recapitalizing their banks .
3. Clearly , there are holes in alpha 's data set .
4. They promised elections but set no date .
5. The set contains 20 high quality watercolor brushes .

more: >How to Use "set" with Example Sentences