What does set mean?

What does set mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does set mean? - The Free Dictionary

Search

[n] a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used(a set of books a set of golf clubs a set of teeth)[v] put into a certain place or abstract location(Put your things here Set the tray down Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children Place emphasis on a certa

set

set - The Free Dictionary

[n] a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
(a set of books a set of golf clubs a set of teeth)

[v] put into a certain place or abstract location
(Put your things here Set the tray down Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children Place emphasis on a certain point)

[a] (usually followed by `to' or `for') on the point of or strongly disposed
(in no fit state to continue fit to drop laughing fit to burst she was fit to scream primed for a fight we are set to go at any time)

[n] (mathematics) an abstract collection of numbers or symbols
(the set of prime numbers is infinite)

[v] fix conclusively or authoritatively
(set the rules)

[a] fixed and unmoving
(with eyes set in a fixed glassy stare his bearded face already has a set hollow look a face rigid with pain)

[n] several exercises intended to be done in series
(he did four sets of the incline bench press)

[v] decide upon or fix definitely
(fix the variables specify the parameters)

[a] situated in a particular spot or position
(valuable centrally located urban land strategically placed artillery a house set on a hilltop nicely situated on a quiet riverbank)

[n] representation consisting of the scenery and other properties used to identify the location of a dramatic production
(the sets were meticulously authentic)

[v] establish as the highest level or best performance
(set a record)

[a] set down according to a plan:
(a carefully laid table with places set for four people stones laid in a pattern)

[n] an unofficial association of people or groups
(the smart set goes there they were an angry lot)

[v] put into a certain state; cause to be in a certain state
(set the house afire)

[a] being below the horizon
(the moon is set)

[n] a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
(the set of his mind was obvious)

[v] fix in a border
(The goldsmith set the diamond)

[a] determined or decided upon as by an authority
(date and place are already determined the dictated terms of surrender the time set for the launching)

[n] the act of putting something in position
(he gave a final set to his hat)

[v] make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
(Get the children ready for school! prepare for war I was fixing to leave town after I paid the hotel bill)

[a] converted to solid form (as concrete)

[n] a unit of play in tennis or squash
(they played two sets of tennis after dinner)

[v] set to a certain position or cause to operate correctly
(set clocks or instruments)

[n] the process of becoming hard or solid by cooling or drying or crystallization
(the hardening of concrete he tested the set of the glue)

[v] locate
(The film is set in Africa)

[n] evil Egyptian god with the head of a beast that has high square ears and a long snout; brother and murderer of Osiris

[v] disappear beyond the horizon
(the sun sets early these days)

[n] the descent of a heavenly body below the horizon
(before the set of sun)

[v] adapt for performance in a different way
(set this poem to music)

[n] (psychology) being temporarily ready to respond in a particular way
(the subjects' set led them to solve problems the familiar way and to overlook the simpler solution his instructions deliberately gave them the wrong set)

[v] put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground
(Let's plant flowers in the garden)

[n] any electronic equipment that receives or transmits radio or tv signals
(the early sets ran on storage batteries)

[v] apply or start
(set fire to a building)

[v] become gelatinous
(the liquid jelled after we added the enzyme)

[v] set in type
(My book will be typeset nicely set these words in italics)

[v] put into a position that will restore a normal state
(set a broken bone)

[v] insert (a nail or screw below the surface, as into a countersink)

[v] give a fine, sharp edge to a knife or razor

[v] urge to attack someone
(The owner sicked his dogs on the intruders the shaman sics sorcerers on the evil spirits)

[v] estimate
(We put the time of arrival at 8 P.M.)

[v] equip with sails or masts
(rig a ship)

[v] get ready for a particular purpose or event
(set up an experiment set the table lay out the tools for the surgery)

[v] alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
(Adjust the clock, please correct the alignment of the front wheels)

[v] bear fruit
(the apple trees fructify)

[v] arrange attractively
(dress my hair for the wedding)

Other vocabulary

's gravenhage, s, s wrench, s-shape, s-shaped, s. s. van dine, s. smith stevens, s.t.p., s.u.v., s/n, sa, sa node, saale, saale glaciation, saale river, saame, saami, saarinen, saba, sabah, sabahan, sabal, sabal palmetto, sabaoth, sabaton, sabayon, sabbat, sabbatarian, sabbath, sabbath school, e, e layer, e region, e'en, e'er, e-bomb, e-commerce, e-mail, e-mycin, e. a. von willebrand, e. b. white, e. coli, e. e. cummings, e. g. marshall, e. h. harriman, e. h. weber, e. l. doctorow, e. o. lawrence, e. o. wilson, e. t. a. hoffmann, e. t. s. walton, e. w. morley, e.g., e.s.p., ea, each, each week, each year, eacles, eacles imperialis

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.