Idioms for set
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)Words nearby set
British Dictionary definitions for set down (1 of 3)
set down
verb (tr, adverb)
to write down or record
to judge, consider, or regard
he set him down as an idiot
(foll by to)
to ascribe; attribute
his attitude was set down to his illness
to reprove; rebuke
to snub; dismiss
British
to allow (passengers) to alight from a bus, taxi, etc
British Dictionary definitions for set down (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 down (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 down
set
[ sĕt ]
v.
n.
Scientific definitions for set down
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 down (1 of 2)
set down
Place in a lower position, as in Set the baby down here, or Set the bags down on the hall table. [Late 1400s]
Put in writing, record, as in Just set down all the facts as you remember them. [Second half of 1500s]
Regard, consider, as in Just set him down as a fool. [Late 1700s]
Assign to a cause, ascribe, as in Let's set down his error to inexperience. [Early 1800s]
Land an aircraft, as in The pilot set the plane down hard on the runway. Also see put down.
Idioms and Phrases with set down (2 of 2)
set