# set
## English
### Pronunciation

* enPR: sĕt, IPA: /sɛt/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Homophone: sett
* Rhymes: -ɛt

### Etymology 1

From Middle English setten, from Old English settan, from Proto-West Germanic *sattjan, from Proto-Germanic *satjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti, causative of *sed- (“to sit”).

#### Verb

set (third-person singular simple present sets, present participle setting, simple past set, past participle set or (dialectal) setten)
* (transitive) To put (something) down, to rest.
    Synonyms: put, lay, set down
    Antonym: pick up
    Set the tray there.
* (transitive) To attach or affix (something) to something else, or in or upon a certain place.
    I have set my heart on running the marathon.
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 4:15:The Lord set a mark upon Cain.
* (transitive) To put in a specified condition or state; to cause to be.
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 28:1:The Lord thy God will set thee on high.
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 10:35:I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother.
** 1827, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Hamlet:Every incident sets him thinking.
* (transitive) To start (a fire).
    Synonym: light
    Antonyms: extinguish, put out, quench
* (transitive, dated) To cause to stop or stick; to obstruct; to fasten to a spot.
    to set a coach in the mud
* (transitive) To determine or settle.
    to set the rent
* (transitive) To adjust.
    I set the alarm at 6 a.m. (i.e. I programmed it at that hour to go off at a later time)
    I set the alarm for 6 a.m. (i.e. I programmed it earlier to go off at that hour.)
* (transitive) To punch (a nail) into wood so that its head is below the surface.
* (transitive) To arrange with dishes and cutlery, to set the table.
    Please set the table for our guests.
* (transitive) To introduce or describe.
    I’ll tell you what happened, but first let me set the scene.
** 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter II, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:An incident which happened about this time will set the characters of these two lads more fairly before the discerning reader than is in the power of the longest dissertation.
* (transitive) To locate (a play, etc.); to assign a backdrop to, geographically or temporally.
    He says he will set his next film in France.
    Her debut novel is set during the U.S. Civil War.
* (transitive) To compile, to make (a puzzle or challenge).
    This crossword was set by Araucaria.
* (transitive) To prepare (a stage or film set).
* (transitive) To fit (someone) up in a situation.
* (transitive) To arrange (type).
    Synonym: typeset
    It was a complex page, but he set it quickly.
* (transitive) To devise and assign (work) to.
    The teacher set her students the task of drawing a foot.
* (transitive, volleyball) To direct (the ball) to a teammate for an attack.
* (intransitive) To solidify.
    The glue sets in five minutes.
* (transitive) To render stiff or solid; especially, to convert into curd; to curdle.
    to set milk for cheese
* (intransitive) Of a heavenly body, to disappear below the horizon of a planet, etc, as the latter rotates.
    The moon sets at eight o'clock tonight.
* (transitive, bridge) To defeat a contract.
* (obsolete, now followed by "out", as in set out) To begin to move; to go forth.
** 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):The king is set from London, and the scene is now transported, gentles, to Southampton
* (transitive, botany) To produce after pollination.
    to set seed
** 2012, Daniel Chamovitz, What a Plant Knows, page 155:Many fruit trees will only flower and set fruit following a cold winter.
* (intransitive, of fruit) To be fixed for growth; to strike root; to begin to germinate or form.
** 1906, Canada. Dept. of Agriculture. Fruit Branch, Fruit crop report:In the Annapolis Valley, in spite of an irregular bloom, the fruit has set well and has, as yet, been little affected by scab.
* (intransitive, Southern US, Midwestern US, dialects) To sit (be in a seated position).
    He sets in that chair all day.
** 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern.
** 1987, Toni Morrison, Beloved, page 227:And if Mrs. Garner didn't need me right there in the kitchen, I could get a chair and you and me could set out there while I did the vegetables.
* (intransitive, Southern US, Midwestern US, dialects) To rest or lie somewhere, on something, etc.; to occupy a certain place.
** 1975, “Convoy”, in C.W. McCall, Chip Davis (lyrics), Black Bear Road, performed by C. W. McCall:Well, we rolled up Interstate 44 Like a rocket-sled on rails. We tore up all of our swindle sheets And left 'em settin' on the scales.
* To hunt game with the aid of a setter.
* (hunting, ambitransitive) Of a dog, to indicate the position of game.
    The dog sets the bird.
    Your dog sets well.
* To apply oneself; to undertake earnestly.
** 1654, H[enry] Hammond, Of Fundamentals in a Notion Referring to Practise, London: […] J[ames] Flesher for Richard Royston, […], →OCLC:If he set industriously and sincerely to perform the commands of Christ, he can have no ground of doubting but it shall prove successful to him.
* (ambitransitive) To fit music to words.
** 1709, J[ohn] Dryden, J[ohn] Oldham, “(please specify the page)”, in Mac Flecknoe: A Poem. […] With Spencer’s Ghost: Being a Satyr Concerning Poetry. […], London: […] H[enry] Hills, […], →OCLC:Set thy own songs, and sing them to thy lute.
** c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:That I might sing it (Madam) to a tune: Giue me a Note, your Ladiship can set
* (ambitransitive) To place plants or shoots in the ground; to plant.
    to set pear trees in an orchard
** 1774, John Robinson, Thomas Rispin, A Journey Through Nova-Scotia Containing a Particular Account of the Country and its Inhabitants, York: C. Etherington, page 19:Mr. Forster, from Newcastle, made a purchase here last year. We saw him with eight men setting potatoes within a week of mid-summer.
* To become fixed or rigid; to be fastened.
* To have a certain direction of motion; to flow; to move on; to tend.
    The current sets to the north; the tide sets to the windward.
* (intransitive, country dancing) To acknowledge a dancing partner by facing him or her and moving first to one side and then to the other, while she or he does the opposite.
    Set to partners! was the next instruction from the caller.
* To place or fix in a setting.
    to set a precious stone in a border of metal
    to set glass in a sash
** 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page 58:And him too rich a jewel to be set / In vulgar metal for a vulgar use.
* To put in order in a particular manner; to prepare.
    to set (that is, to hone) a razor
    to set a saw
* To extend and bring into position; to spread.
    to set the sails of a ship
* To give a pitch to, as a tune; to start by fixing the keynote.
** 1742, Henry Fielding, “Here Joseph Andrews Writ a Letter to His Sister Pamela”, in The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews, and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. […], volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book I, page 25:[…] I ſhould be very vvilling to be his Clerk; for vvhich you knovv I am qualified, being able to read, and to ſet a Pſalm.
* To reduce from a dislocated or fractured state.
    to set a broken bone
* (intransitive, now dialectal) To sit or lie (easily etc.) on the stomach; to be digested in a certain manner.
** 1917 February 12, “If You Knew What Foods?” (advertisement), in The Independent, volume 59, number 3558, New York: Independent Corporation, page 280:If you also knew how to combine foods—that is, what foods eaten together “set well,” you need never have indigestion, constipation or any of the headachy, stomachachy ills they lead to.
* (masonry) To lower into place and fix solidly, as the blocks of cut stone in a structure.
* (obsolete) To wager in gambling; to risk.
** c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:I have set my life upon a cast, / And I will stand the hazard of the die.
* To adorn with something infixed or affixed; to stud; to variegate with objects placed here and there.
** 1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:High on their heads, with jewels richly set, / Each lady wore a radiant coronet.
** 1815, William Wordsworth, Poems of the Imagination:pastoral dales thin set with modern farms
* (obsolete) To value; to rate; used with at.
** c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:Be you contented, wearing now the garland, / To have a son set your decrees at naught.
** c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:I do not set my life at a pin's fee.
* To establish as a rule; to furnish; to prescribe; to assign.
    to set a good example
* (Scotland) To suit; to become.
    It sets him ill.
* To cause (a domestic fowl) to sit on eggs to brood.
    To set a hen.
* Repeating, or redoing, a specific exercise move without any breaks.
    You need to do this for 10 sets

##### Usage notes

Originally, set specifically served as the causative of sit, and this relationship is still reflected in several of the above senses. However, as with many such pairs, the correspondence has mostly deteriorated, with new senses of sit no longer being accompanied with a like sense of set; notably, there are now transitive senses of sit and intransitive senses of set. Compare rise and raise, whose senses are almost all intransitive and transitive counterparts, respectively.

##### Synonyms

* (of heavenly bodies, to disappear below the horizon): go down, go west

##### Derived terms

* beset
* foreset
* forset
* forthset
* have one's heart set upon
* inset
* level set
* nailset
* newset
* overset
* reset
* set aback
* set a beggar on horseback and he'll ride to the Devil
* set about
* set adrift
* set afire
* set after
* set against
* set ahead
* set alight
* set-and-forget
* set an example
* set apart
* set aright
* set aside
* set-aside
* set a spell
* set a sponge
* set at defiance
* set a thief to catch a thief
* set at naught
* set at nought
* set back
* set by
* set by the ears
* set down
* set eyes on
* set fair
* set-fair
* set fire
* set foot
* set foot on land
* set forth
* set forward
* set forwards
* set free
* set in
* set in motion
* set in stone
* set in train
* set loose
* set mine
* set off
* set on
* set on a pedestal
* set one's affairs in order
* set one's cap at
* set one's face against
* set one's hair on fire
* set one's hand to
* set one's heart on
* set one's heart upon
* set one's house in order
* set one's shoulder to the wheel
* set one's sights
* set one's sights on
* set one's watch back
* set one's watch by someone
* set on fire
* set on foot
* set onto
* set out
* set over
* set pen to paper
* set phasers to
* set pulses racing
* set right
* set sail, set sails
* set sights
* set sights on
* set someone's teeth on edge
* set store by
* set straight
* set the ball rolling
* set the bar
* set the cat among the pigeons
* set the heather alight
* set the heather on fire
* set the land
* set the pace
* set the record straight
* set the scene
* set the stage
* set the table
* set the Thames on fire
* set the tone
* set the wheels in motion
* set the world ablaze
* set the world afire
* set the world aflame
* set the world alight
* set the world on fire
* set the world to rights
* set to
* set together by the ears
* set to music
* set to work
* set up
* set upon
* set up to oneself
* set with
* withset

##### Descendants

* → Japanese: セット (setto)
** → Hokkien: siat-to͘h

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Etymology 2

From Middle English set, sette, from Old English set (“seat, place of residence, camp, settlement, entrenchment, stable, pen”), from Proto-West Germanic *set (“seat”), from Proto-Germanic *setą (“seat”).

#### Noun

set (plural sets)
* A punch for setting nails in wood.
    nail set
* A device for receiving broadcast radio waves (or, more recently, broadcast data); a radio or television.
    television set
* Alternative form of sett (“a hole made and lived in by a badger”)
* Alternative form of sett (“pattern of threads and yarns”)
* Alternative form of sett (“piece of quarried stone”)
* (horticulture) A small tuber or bulb used instead of seed, particularly onion sets and potato sets.
* The amount by which the teeth of a saw protrude to the side in order to create the kerf.
* (engineering) A permanent change of shape caused by excessive strain, as from compression, tension, bending, twisting, etc.
    the set of a spring
** 1986 March 29, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.12 Wreckage and Impact Information”, in Aircraft Accident Report: China Airlines Boeing 747-SP, N4522V, 300 Nautical Miles Northwest of San Francisco, California, February 19, 1985‎, archived from the original on 10 July 2022, page 12:The wings were bent or set permanently 2 to 3 inches upward at the wingtips; however, the set was within the manufacturer's allowable tolerances.
* A bias of mind; an attitude or pattern of behaviour.
* (piledriving) A piece placed temporarily upon the head of a pile when the latter cannot otherwise be reached by the weight, or hammer.
* (printing, dated) The width of the body of a type.
* A young oyster when first attached.
* Collectively, the crop of young oysters in any locality.
* A series or group of something. (Note the similar meaning in Etymology 4, Noun)
* (colloquial) The manner, state, or quality of setting or fitting; fit.
    the set of a coat
** 1984 December 29, Amy Hoffman, “Dyke Detectives Solve Murder Mysteries”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25, page 7:So much of our culture, hidden by necessity for so long, involves subtle codes and signals: the set of her shoulders, the sway of his hips.
* The pattern of a tartan, etc.
* The camber of a curved roofing tile.
* The full number of eggs set under a hen.
* (obsolete, rare) That which is staked; a wager; hence, a gambling game.
** 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:We will in France, by God's grace, play a set / Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard.
** 1687,, “(please specify the page number)”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:That was but civil war, an equal set.
** 1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1857, →OCLC:Thenceforth the Dowager, with a light and careless humour, often recounted to her particular acquaintance how, after a hard trial, she had found it impossible to know those people who belonged to Henry’s wife, and who had made that desperate set to catch him.
* A tool for dressing forged iron.

##### Derived terms

* butt set
* compression set
* dead set
* level set
* offset
* onset
* outset
* seam set
* set dec
* set dresser
* set-off
* set tool
* set-top box
* television set
* time-point set
* TV set

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Etymology 3

From Middle English sett, from Old English ġesett, past participle of settan.

#### Adjective

set (comparative more set, superlative most set)
* Fixed in position.
** 2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34:Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
* Rigid, solidified.
* Ready, prepared.
    on your marks, get set, go!; on your marks, set, go!
* Intent, determined (to do something).
    set on getting to his destination
** 1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lloyd Osbourne, “In which Jim and I Take Different Ways”, in The Wrecker, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, […], →OCLC, page 179:And she likes you so much, and thinks you so accomplished and distingué-looking, and was just as set as I was to have you for best man.
* Prearranged.
    a set menu ― a meal that is instituted by a restaurateur for a limited occasion
    a set book ― a required reading for a course in an educational institution
* Fixed in one’s opinion.
    I’m set against the idea of smacking children to punish them.
* (of hair) Fixed in a certain style.

##### Synonyms

* (intent, determined): determined, intent
* (prearranged): dictated, prearranged, predetermined, prescribed, specified
* (fixed in one's opinion): fixed, rigid

##### Derived terms

* all set
* close-set
* dead set
* dead set against
* deep-set
* go set
* hard-set
* have one's heart set on
* heavyset, heavy-set
* mindset
* moonset
* nail set
* offset
* outset
* photoset
* preset
* quickset
* saw set
* self-set
* set-aside
* setback
* set back
* set chisel
* set fair
* set for life
* sethood
* set-in
* set in one's ways
* setlist
* setness
* set net
* set of one's jaw
* set phrase
* set screw
* set shot
* set square
* set-stitched
* setter
* set-to
* sharp-set
* sunset
* thickset
* trendsetter
* typeset
* unset
* upset
* well-set

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Etymology 4

From Middle English set, sete, sette (“that which is set, the act of setting, seat”), from Old English set (“setting, seat, a place where people remain, habitation, camp, entrenchment, a place where animals are kept, stall, fold”) and Old English seten (“a set, shoot, slip, branch; a nursery, plantation; that which is planted or set; a cultivated place; planting, cultivation; a setting, putting; a stopping; occupied land”), related to Old English settan (“to set”). Compare Middle Low German gesette (“a set, suite”), Old English gesetl (“assembly”). According to Skeat, in senses denoting a group of things or persons, representing an alteration of sept, from Old French sette (“a religious sect”), from Medieval Latin secta (“retinue”), from Latin secta (“a faction”). See sect. It is quite possible that the modern word is more of a merger between both, however.

#### Noun

set (plural sets)
* A young plant fit for setting out; a slip; shoot.
* A rudimentary fruit.
* The setting of the sun or other luminary; (by extension) the close of the day.
** c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:The weary sun hath made a golden set.
** 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “Adeline”, in Poems. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 41:And a rose-bush leans upon, / Thou that faintly smilest still, / As a Naiad in a well, / Looking at the set of day, […]
* (literally and figuratively) General movement; direction; drift; tendency.
** 1840, Thomas De Quincey, Style:Here and there, amongst individuals alive to the particular evils of the age, and watching the very set of the current, there may have been even a more systematic counteraction applied to the mischief.
** 1951, Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny, page 238:He put his eye to the alidade. “I thought so! Zero five four and that's allowing nothing for set and drift along the line of bearing. We're inside the departure point now […] ”
* A matching collection of similar things. (Note the similar meaning in Etymology 2, Noun.)
    a set of tables
* A collection of various objects for a particular purpose.
    a set of tools
* An object made up of several parts.
    a set of steps
* (set theory) A collection of zero or more objects, possibly infinite in size, and disregarding any order or repetition of the objects which may be contained within it.
* (in plural, “sets”, mathematics, informal) Set theory.
* A group of people, usually meeting socially or connected through some shared interest, activity, attribute, etc.
    the country set
** 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter XIX, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:That he took perfumed baths is a truth; and he used to say that he took them after meeting certain men of a very low set in hall.
** 1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 21:“Good gracious, child, you didn't join the Theosophists and kiss Buddha's big toe, did you ? I tried to get into their set once, but they cast me out for a sceptic — without a chance of improving my poor little mind, too.”
** 1984 December 29, H. W. Seng, “Alice, Gertrude and Sammy Dearest”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25, page 13:They were very private people, though they did have their circle of friends at Bilignin. They had little or no association with the Natalie Barney set, in their eyes much too frivolous.
* The scenery for a film or play.
* the general locations and area where a movie’s, a film’s, or a video’s scenery is arranged to be filmed also including places for actors, assorted crew, director, producers which are typically not filmed.
* (dance) The initial or basic formation of dancers.
* (exercise) A group of repetitions of a single exercise performed one after the other without rest.
    Meronym: reps
** 1974, Charles Gaines, George Butler, Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding, page 22:This is the fourth set of benchpresses.
* (tennis) A complete series of games, forming part of a match.
* (volleyball) A complete series of points, forming part of a match.
* (volleyball) The act of directing the ball to a teammate for an attack.
* (music) A musical performance by a band, disc jockey, etc., consisting of several musical pieces.
** 2017 June 26, Alexis Petridis, “Glastonbury 2017 verdict: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Lorde, Stormzy and more”, in the Guardian‎:You heard “oh, Jeremy Corbyn” everywhere: at the silent disco, during Radiohead’s Friday night headlining set, midway through the Other stage appearance by rapper Stormzy, who gamely joined in.
* (music) A drum kit, a drum set.
    He plays the set on Saturdays.
* (UK, education) A class group in a subject where pupils are divided by ability.
** 2012 April 26, “Themes: Pupil grouping and organisation of classes”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, Department for Education, archived from the original on 14 June 2012:Looking at pupil attainment, the study found that students with the same Key Stage 3 scores could have their GCSE grade raised or lowered by up to half a grade as a result of being placed in a higher or lower set.
* (poker, slang) Three of a kind, especially if two cards are in one's hand and the third is on the board. Compare trips (“three of a kind, especially with two cards on the board and one in one's hand”).

##### Synonyms

* (close of the day): dusk, eve, evening, sundown, sunset
* (general movement): direction, drift, heading, motion, movement, path, tendency, trend
* (matching collection of similar things): suite
* (set theory, in plural): set theory
* (group of people, usually meeting socially): club, coterie
* (scenery): scenery
* (performance of several musical pieces): gig, session
* (drum kit): drums, drum kit, drum set
* (three of a kind): three of a kind

##### Derived terms

* age set
* arithmetical set
* Aronhold set
* axiom of power set
* bedroom set
* Besicovitch set
* Borel set
* boxed set
* box set
* breakfast set
* bump set
* cabana set
* Caccioppoli set
* Cantor set
* carrier set
* causal set
* character set
* chess set
* cluster set
* companion set
* contrast set
* conversation set
* convex set
* cord set
* countable set
* country set
* cruet set
* crystal set
* cut-set
* data set
* Delone set
* difference set
* dining set
* directed set
* discrete set
* disjoint set
* dominating set
* dope set
* drop set
* edge set
* evoked set
* expansion set
* Fatou set
* film-set
* film set
* filmset
* finite set
* fireside set
* fixed set
* fuzzy set
* game set
* game, set, match
* giant set
* gift set
* golden set
* ground set
* grow a set
* Hintikka set
* homeset
* hom-set
* hot set
* independent set
* instruction set
* IP set
* Islington set
* item set
* jet set
* Julia set
* Kakeya set
* key set identifier
* level set
* lexical set
* limbo set
* lower set
* measurable set
* mess set
* Meyer set
* morphism set
* negligible set
* null set
* ordered set
* partially ordered set
* perceptual set
* perfect set
* point-set topology
* power set
* prong-set
* quotient set
* recordset
* reduction set
* riveting set
* roomset
* sake set
* sala set
* scuba set
* service set identifier
* set-builder notation
* set designer
* set function
* set of pipes
* set of wheels
* set operation
* set piece
* set point
* set theory
* sieve set
* singleton set
* skill set
* smart set
* sofa set
* spectral set
* stage set
* steak set
* subset
* swingset
* swoon set
* tea set
* toilet set
* totally ordered set
* train set
* trainset
* transitive set
* trap set
* twinset
* two set
* uncountable set
* underlying set
* universal set
* upper set
* wandering set
* working set

##### See also

* bag
* closed set
* empty set
* Mandelbrot set
* multiset
* open set
* subset

### Etymology 5

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Verb

set (third-person singular simple present sets, present participle setting, simple past and past participle setted)
* (UK, education) To divide a class group in a subject according to ability
** 2008, Patricia Murphy, Robert McCormick, Knowledge and Practice: Representations and Identities:In setted classes, students are brought together because they are believed to be of similar 'ability'. Yet, setted lessons are often conducted as though students are not only similar, but identical—in terms of ability, preferred learning style and pace of working.
** 2002, Jo Boaler, Experiencing School Mathematics: Traditional and Reform Approaches and Their Impact on Student Learning:At Amber Hill, setting was a high-profile concept, and the students were frequently reminded of the set to which they belonged.
** 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.

### References

* ↑ Weisenberg, Michael (2000) The Official Dictionary of Poker. MGI/Mike Caro University. →ISBN

### Anagrams

* Tse, StE, tes, -est, TSE, est, Est., ETS, STE, est., tse, ETs, TEs, Ste, EST, Ste., Est

## Afrikaans
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

set (plural [please provide])
* The name of the Latin-script letter Z/z.

## Aragonese
### Etymology

From Latin sitis.

### Noun

set f
* thirst

## Catalan
### Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin septem (“seven”), from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥. Cognates include Occitan sèt.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈsɛt]
* Rhymes: -ɛt

#### Numeral

set m or f
* (cardinal number) seven

#### Noun

set m (plural sets)
* seven

#### Derived terms

* set pecats capitals

### Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin sitis, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰgʷʰítis.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [ˈsɛt]
* IPA: (Balearic) [ˈsət]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˈset]

#### Noun

set f (plural sets)
* thirst
* hunger (strong desire)

##### Derived terms

* assedegar
* sedegar
* sedejar

### Further reading

* “set” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “set”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “set” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “set” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Chinese
### Etymology

From English set.

### Pronunciation

* Cantonese (Jyutping): set$^1$
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: set$^1$
*** Cantonese Pinyin: set$^7$
*** Guangdong Romanization: séd$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /sɛːt̚⁵/

### Noun

set
* (Hong Kong Cantonese) package or collection of items (Classifier: 個／个 c)

### Verb

set
* (Hong Kong Cantonese) to set; to adjust
    set鬧鐘／set闹钟 [Cantonese] ― set$^1$ naau$^6$ zung$^1$ [Jyutping] ― to set the alarm
* (Hong Kong Cantonese) to set; to prepare
    set場／set场 [Cantonese] ― set$^1$ coeng$^4$ [Jyutping] ― to prepare and decorate a venue

#### Derived terms

* set場 / set场 (Cantonese)
* set頭 / set头 (set$^1$ tau$^4$) (Cantonese)

### Classifier

set
* (Hong Kong Cantonese) Classifier for packages or collections of items.

### See also

* 恤髮 / 恤发 (seot$^1$ faat$^3$)

### References

* English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

## Crimean Tatar
### Noun

set
* sofa, couch, settee

## Czech
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈsɛt]
* Audio:(file)
* Homophone: sed
* Rhymes: -ɛt

### Etymology 1

Derived from English set.

#### Noun

set m inan
* (tennis, volleyball) set (part of a match in sports like tennis and volleyball)
    Synonym: sada

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Noun

set n
* genitive plural of sto

### Etymology 3
#### Participle

set
* masculine singular passive participle of sít

### Further reading

* “set”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “set”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

## Danish
### Verb

set
* past participle of se

#### Derived terms

* sådan set

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from English set.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛt/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: set
* Rhymes: -ɛt
* Homophone: Seth

### Noun

set m (plural sets, diminutive setje n)
* a set (collection of objects belonging together)
* a set (installation consisting of multiple appliances)
* (tennis) a set (tennis match)
* a film set (filming location)
    Synonym: filmset

#### Derived terms

* jetset
* kledingset
* loungeset
* pannenset
* setpoint
* stereoset

## Eastern Durango Nahuatl
### Noun

set
* ice

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from English set [from 1833].

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛt/
* Audio:(file)
* Homophones: cet, cette, sept, Sète
* Rhymes: -ɛt

### Noun

set m (plural sets)
* (tennis) set
    Synonym: manche

#### Derived terms

* balle de set (set point)

### Further reading

* “set”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* est, Ste., tes

## Icelandic
### Etymology

From Old Norse set, from Proto-Germanic *setą. Compare the English seat.

### Noun

set n (genitive singular sets, nominative plural set)
* seat, a place to sit

#### Declension
## Indonesian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈsɛt]
* Hyphenation: sèt

### Etymology 1

From Dutch set, from English set, alteration of sept, from Old French sette (“a religious sect”), from Medieval Latin secta (“retinue”), from Latin secta (“a faction”).

#### Noun

sèt (plural set-set)
* (sports) set, group of games counting as a unit toward a match.
    Synonym: babak
* set:
    Synonyms: perangkat, setel
** a matching collection of similar things.
** a collection of various objects for a particular purpose.
* set, an object made up of several parts.

##### Derived terms

* set adegan
* set dalam
* set kedua
* set kepala
* set panjang
* set penentuan
* set sayap panggung
* set tambahan
* set tangan
* set tirai

### Etymology 2

From English set, from Middle English setten, from Old English settan, from Proto-Germanic *satjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti, causative of *sed- (“to sit”).

#### Verb

sèt
* to set:
    Synonym: mengeset
** to put in a specified condition or state
** to adjust
** to prepare
** to arrange

##### Derived terms

* mengeset
* pengeset
* pengesetan

#### Noun

set (plural set-set)
* (colloquial) trick; act; strategy
    Synonyms: muslihat, tindak, strategi

### Further reading

* “set” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Italian
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English set.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɛt/
* Rhymes: -ɛt
* Hyphenation: sèt

### Noun

set m (invariable)
* set (group of things in maths, tennis, cinema, etc.)

### Anagrams

* 'ste, est

## Ladin
### Etymology

From Latin septem.

### Adjective

set
* seven

### Noun

set m (uncountable)
* seven

## Latin
### Etymology

Alternative spelling of sed. See aliquit#Etymology.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈset/, [ˈs̠ɛt̪]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈset/, [ˈsɛt̪]

### Conjunction

set
* Alternative form of sed
** c. 1300, Tractatus de Ponderibus et Mensuris:sexies viginti petre faciunt carrum plumbi scilicet magnum carrum London’ set carrus del Peek est multo minus.Six times twenty stone make the load of lead, scilicet the great London load, but the load of Peek is much less.

## Lombard
### Alternative forms

* sett, sètt (Western orthographies)
* sèt (Eastern orthographies)

### Etymology

From Latin septem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /set/, [sɛt]
* IPA: /set/, [hɛt] (High Brescian and Bergamasque)

### Numeral

set
* seven

## Lower Sorbian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [sɛt]

### Verb

set
* supine of seś

## Mauritian Creole
### Etymology

From French sept.

### Numeral

set
* seven

## Michif
### Etymology

From French sept.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [sɛt]

### Numeral

set
* seven

## North Frisian
### Alternative forms

* sat (Föhr-Amrum)
* sate (Mooring)

### Etymology

From Old Frisian sitta, from Proto-West Germanic *sittjan.

### Pronunciation

* (Sylt) IPA: [sɛt]

### Verb

set
* (Sylt) to sit

#### Conjugation
## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology 1
#### Verb

set
* present of setja and setta
* imperative of setja

### Etymology 2
#### Participle

set
* (non-standard since 1938) past participle of sjå

## Occitan
### Etymology

From Latin sitis, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰgʷʰítis.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

set f or m (plural sets)
* thirst

### Numeral

set (Limousin)
* seven

#### Alternative forms

* sèt

#### Derived terms

* dietz set

### Further reading

* Joan de Cantalausa (2006) Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians‎, 2 edition, →ISBN, page 910.

## Old English
### Etymology

Compare the verb settan. Compare Old Norse sæti, Old High German gesazi (German Gesäß), Middle Dutch gesaete, from Proto-Germanic *sētiją.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /set/

### Noun

set n
* seat

#### Declension

Strong a-stem:

#### Related terms

* ġeset

## Old French
### Etymology 1

From Latin septem.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɛt/

#### Numeral

cardinal number :
| 7 | Previous: | sis |
| 7 | Next: | uit |
set
* seven

##### Descendants

* Middle French: sept
** French: sept
* Norman: sept, saept (Guernsey)
* Walloon: set

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

set
* third-person singular present indicative of savoir

##### Descendants

* French: sait

## Old Norse
### Verb

set
* inflection of setja:
** first-person singular present active indicative
** second-person singular active imperative

## Papiamentu
### Etymology

From Spanish sed and Portuguese sede and Kabuverdianu sedi.

### Noun

set
* thirst

## Piedmontese
### Etymology

From Latin septem, from Proto-Italic *septem. Cognates include Italian sette and French sept.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛt/

### Numeral

set
* seven

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɛt/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛt
* Syllabification: set
* Homophone: Set

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from English set.

#### Noun

set m animal or m inan (related adjective setowy)
* (badminton, tennis, volleyball) set (complete series of games, forming part of a match)

##### Related terms

* setowo

#### Noun

set m inan (related adjective setowy)
* (colloquial, music) set (set of songs performed during a concert of popular music)

##### Declension
#### Noun

set m animal
* (card games) Set (real-time card game designed by Marsha Falco in 1974 and published by Set Enterprises in 1991)

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Noun

set f
* genitive plural of seta

### Further reading

* set in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* set in Polish dictionaries at PWN
* set in PWN's encyclopedia

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English set.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɛ.t͡ʃi/, /ˈsɛt͡ʃ/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɛ.t͡ʃi/, /ˈsɛt͡ʃ/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɛt͡ʃ/, /ˈsɛ.t͡ʃi/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈsɛ.tɨ/
* Homophone: sete

### Noun

set m (plural sets)
* set (group of things in maths, tennis, cinema, etc.)

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English set or French set.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /set/

### Noun

set n (plural seturi)
* (tennis) set
* set (of objects)

#### Declension
## Romansch
### Etymology 1

From Latin septem, from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥.

#### Number

set
* (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) seven

##### Alternative forms

* siat (Sursilvan)
* seat (Sutsilvan)

### Etymology 2

From Latin sitis, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰgʷʰítis (“perishing, decrease”).

#### Noun

set f
* (Sutsilvan) thirst

##### Alternative forms

* said (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader)
* seit (Sursilvan)
* seid (Surmiran)

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English set.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈset/ [ˈset̪]
* Rhymes: -et
* Syllabification: set

### Noun

set m (plural sets)
* (tennis) set
* set or series of things (such as crockery, cutlery, tools, instruments, etc.)

### Further reading

* “set”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English set.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛtː/
* Homophones: sett, sätt

### Noun

set n
* a set (matching collection of items)
* a set (in for example tennis)
* a set (musical performance)

#### Declension
### See also

* sett
* sätt
* tågsätt

### References

* set in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* set in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* set in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

### Anagrams

* est, tes

## Walloon
### Etymology

From Latin septem, from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛt/

### Numeral

set
* seven

## Welsh
### Etymology 1
#### Verb

set (not mutable)
* Contraction of baset.

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from English set.

#### Noun

set f (plural setiau, not mutable)
* set

##### Derived terms

* is-set (“subset”)

### Further reading

* Delyth Prys, J.P.M. Jones, Owain Davies, Gruffudd Prys (2006) Y Termiadur: termau wedi'u safoni; standardised terminology‎ (in Welsh), Cardiff: Awdurdod cymwysterau, cwricwlwm ac asesu Cymru (Qualifications curriculum & assessment authority for Wales), →ISBN

## Yola
### Noun

set
* Alternative form of zet
** 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:Houghany set.Stupid set.

### References

* Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 47