set-back
[ set-bak ]
/ ˈsɛtˌbæk /
noun
Surveying.
the interval by which a chain or tape exceeds the length being measured.
Origin of set-back
special use of
setback
Words nearby set-back
set up housekeeping,
set up shop,
set upon,
set width,
set-aside,
set-back,
set-in,
set-in sleeve,
set-jetting,
set-off,
set-to
Definition for set back (2 of 2)
Origin of set
before 900; (v.) Middle English
setten, Old English
settan; cognate with Old Norse
setja, German
setzen, Gothic
satjan, all < Germanic
*satjan, causative of
*setjan to
sit1; (noun) (in senses denoting the action of setting or the state of being set) Middle English
set, set(t)e, derivative of the v. and its past participle; (in senses denoting a group) Middle English
sette < Old French < Latin
secta
sect (in later use influenced by the v. and Middle Low German
gesette set, suite)
usage note for set
The verbs
set and
sit1 are similar in form and meaning but different in grammatical use.
Set is chiefly transitive and takes an object:
Set the dish on the shelf. Its past tense and past participle are also
set :
Yesterday he set three posts for the fence. The judge has set the date for the trial.
Set also has some standard intransitive uses, as “to pass below the horizon” (
The sun sets late in the northern latitudes during the summer ) and “to become firm, solid, etc.” (
This glue sets quickly ). The use of
set for
sit, “to be seated,” is nonstandard:
Pull up a chair and set by me.
Sit is chiefly intransitive and does not take an object: Let's sit here in the shade. Its past tense and past participle are sat : They sat at the table for nearly two hours. Have they sat down yet? Transitive uses of sit include “to cause to sit” ( Pull up a chair and sit yourself down ) and “to provide seating for” ( The waiter sat us near the window ).
Sit is chiefly intransitive and does not take an object: Let's sit here in the shade. Its past tense and past participle are sat : They sat at the table for nearly two hours. Have they sat down yet? Transitive uses of sit include “to cause to sit” ( Pull up a chair and sit yourself down ) and “to provide seating for” ( The waiter sat us near the window ).
OTHER WORDS FROM set
in·ter·set, verb (used with object), in·ter·set, in·ter·set·ting. mis·set, verb, mis·set, mis·set·ting. self-set, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH set
set sit (see usage note at the current entry)British Dictionary definitions for set back (1 of 3)
set back
verb (tr, adverb)
to hinder; impede
informal
to cost (a person) a specified amount
noun setback
anything that serves to hinder or impede
a recession in the upper part of a high building, esp one that increases the daylight at lower levels
Also called: offset, setoff
a steplike shelf where a wall is reduced in thickness
British Dictionary definitions for set back (2 of 3)
set
1
/ (sɛt) /
verb sets, setting or set (mainly tr)
noun
adjective
Word Origin for set
Old English
settan, causative of
sittan to
sit; related to Old Frisian
setta, Old High German
sezzan
British Dictionary definitions for set back (3 of 3)
set
2
/ (sɛt) /
noun
verb sets, setting or set
(intr)
(in square dancing and country dancing) to perform a sequence of steps while facing towards another dancer
set to your partners
(usually tr)
to divide into sets
in this school we set our older pupils for English
Word Origin for set
C14 (in the obsolete sense: a religious sect): from Old French
sette, from Latin
secta
sect; later sense development influenced by the verb
set
1
Medical definitions for set back
set
[ sĕt ]
v.
n.
Scientific definitions for set back
set
[ sĕt ]
A collection of distinct elements that have something in common. In mathematics, sets are commonly represented by enclosing the members of a set in curly braces, as {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, the set of all positive integers from 1 to 5.
Idioms and Phrases with set back (1 of 2)
set back
Slow down the progress of, hinder, as in The project was set back by the frequent absences of staff members. [First half of 1500s]
Cost, as in That car set me back twenty thousand dollars. [Colloquial; c. 1900]
Change to a lower level or earlier time, as in We set back the thermostat whenever we go on vacation, or On October 10 we have to set back the clocks. [First half of 1600s] Set back the clock is also used figuratively to mean “return to an earlier era,” as in He wished he could set back the clock to those carefree high-school days. Also see set forward.
Idioms and Phrases with set back (2 of 2)
set