| 释义 |
▪ I. set, n.1|sɛt|
Also 4–5 sete, 3–6 sette, (6 seat), 5– (now prevalent in many technical senses) sett.
[f. set v.1, partly directly from the vb.-stem, and partly a subst. use of set ppl. a.; the two formations cannot always be distinguished.
OE. had set neut., seat (in sing. place of setting of the sun; in pl. setu, seotu collect. in the senses camp, stable or cowhouse), corresp. to OHG. seȥ neut., seat (MHG. seȥ neut., masc., seat, siege, mod.G. sess masc., seat), ON. set neut., abode:—OTeut. *seto-m, f. *set-: see sit v. It is doubtful whether this survived beyond OE.; the rare early ME. sette seat appears to be (as the rhyme shows in one instance) an irregular spelling for sete seat n.1 Sense 1 below can hardly have been influenced by the OE. word, as this occurs (in sing.) only in phr. e.g. to sete gán (= to set), and the dat. n. would have become sēte in early ME. On the other hand, sense 1 may be partly due to an adoption of ON. -setr neut., -seta fem. (in dagsetr, sólarsetr, -seta: see sunset), which are cogn. with OE. set.]
I. The action of setting or condition of being set.
1. a. The act of setting (of a luminary); the apparent descent of the heavenly bodies towards the horizon at the close of their diurnal period. Now only poet. except in sunset.
c1386[see day set s.v. day n. 24]. 1390Gower Conf. III. 257 Riht evene upon the Sonne set. a1400–50Wars Alex. 2045 And so to sett of þe son sesid þai neuire. 1592Daniel Compl. Rosamond Wks. (1717) 39 This fair Morning had a shameful Set. 1594Drayton Idea liii [lx], Tell me, if euer since the world begunne, So faire a morning had so foule a set? 1599Shakes. Hen. V, iv. i. 292 But [the King] like a Lacquey, from the Rise to Set, Sweates in the eye of Phebus. 1605― Macb. i. i. 5 That will be ere the set of Sunne. 1618Chapman Hesiod's Georg. ii. 366 The Seuen-stars, and the Fiue, That twixt the Bulls hornes, at their set arriue. 1654–66Earl of Orrery Parthen. (1676) 569 The Sun was fiue hours from his set. 1724Ramsay Vision xvii, Frae the sun's rysing to his sett. 1812Cary Dante, Purg. xviii. 80 When they of Rome behold him [the sun] at his set Betwixt Sardinia and the Corsic isle. 1834A. E. Bray Warleigh xxxi, The sun had already made a fiery set. 1845Sumner True Grandeur Nations (1846) 13 Between the rise and set of a single sun.
b. set of day: (a) the time at which the sun sets; (b) the west.
1623Lisle ælfric on O. & N. Test. Ded. xv, Thou..shalt..Extend thy fame fro Set to Spring of day. 1830Tennyson Adeline ii, Looking at the set of day. 1868Nettleship Ess. Browning v. 127 At set of day. 1885–94R. Bridges Eros & Psyche Mar. xxiii, Lookt left and right to rise and set of day.
c. fig. of the close of life.
1625in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1659) I. 158 Yet can they never deny but that admired Serenity had its set in a Cloud. 1635A. Stafford Fem. Glory 13 Anna..being then in the occident, or set of life.
†2. ? A setting oneself to fight, encounter, attack. Obs.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 15658 Wyþ Cadwaly so harde he met, & Cadwalyn fley atte ferste set.
†3.
a. Letting, lease. Sc. Obs.
1439Charters, etc. Edin. (1871) 64 Sindry alde charteris, takis, and settis of feefedorme made to thaim. 1471Acts Lds. Auditors (1839) 14/2 Þat he sall haue na dale nor entrometing þarwith..without þt he optene tak & set þarof. 1476Ibid. 41/1 Dauid allegiand at þe said landis of logycarroch belangit him be Resone of Sete. 1583Exch. Rolls Scot. XXI. 564 Thair was ane set maid of the kingis majesties landis. 1600J. Melvill Autobiog., etc. (1842) 11 Be whome they might gett a new sett and possessioun of thay teind fisches. a1637Spottiswood Hist. Ch. Scot. (1655) 452 He should not delapidate his Benefice..nor make any set, or disposition thereof. [1886Act 49 & 50 Vict. c. 50 §3 ‘Lease’ [in this Act] shall include tack and set. ]
b. (Usually sett.) A mining lease. Chiefly Cornwall. (Cf. 21.)
1713Lond. Gaz. No. 5141/4 The Setts heretofore made of the Copper-works..will determine at Michaelmas next. 1778Pryce Min. Cornub. 326 A Set..sometimes..implies the deed or lease by which they enjoy the premises. 1855Leifchild Cornwall 241 The sett, or lease, frequently extends to twenty-one years.
attrib.1891Labour Commission Gloss., Sett quarries, a number of mines or quarries taken on lease.
4. Scots Law. The action of setting to sale (see quots.).
1693Stair Inst. Law Scot. i. xvi. (ed. 2) 135 A Roup at the half or major part of the Owners against the rest, or a Set at any of the Owners instance against the whole, either to take his part at such a rate, or [etc.]. 1838W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. s.v. Sett, Where the owners of a ship disagree as to the manner in which a vessel is to be employed, or where one of the owners is desirous to sell his share, he usually offers it, at a certain price, to the other owners; and failing an extrajudicial arrangement, an action of sett is competent.
†5.
a. The condition of being stopped or checked; a check. Phr. at a set, at a standstill, in difficulties, nonplussed (cf. 10 e); hard set or sore set (Sc.), a serious check or set-back (cf. phr. s.v. set v.1).
1613Purchas Pilgrimage iii. iv. 211 Our Gull-gallants..who would sometimes be at a sette in their braue and brauing phrases, if they should not haue varietie of oathes and curses. 1642D. Rogers Naaman 87 He is at a set, and knows not what to make of it. c1680Mem. Mrs. Veitch, etc. (1846) 26 (E.D.D.) They were both against it, which gave my faith a sore set. 1751[R. Paltock] Life P. Wilkins xii, It rose so steep..that I was at a Set upon the first Entrance. 1768Ross Helenore (1789) 45 Great may the hardships be, that she has met, Gotten for my sake so hard a set. Ibid. 70, I shanna tell you..How sad the set was, that my heart did get.
b. Bowls. (See quot. and rub n.1 2 a.)
1876Encycl. Brit. IV. 180/2 A ‘rub’ or ‘set’ is when a jack or bowl, in transitu, comes in contact with any object on the green.
†c. Mech. (See quot.)
1763Fitzgerald in Phil. Trans. LIII. 156 The stop, or sett, generally in large engines, when the ends of the leaver come to the springs, is a defect that has been endeavoured to be remedied.
6. The act of a dog in setting game. (Cf. 10 f.)
1727Boyer Dict. Royal I. s.v. Arrest, A Dog that makes a fine set. 1737Bracken Farriery Impr. (1749) I. 309 Their little Dogs make a Set at them in the Manner of Setting-Dogs. 1897Badminton Mag. Apr. 448 All your senses tingle as you go to the set, and encourage the statue⁓like animal to go on. 1897Outing XXIX. 479/2 Only twenty years ago the term ‘set’ was in general use. A sportsman, especially an old-timer, when a setter paused on game, would then say ‘There's a set!’
7. a. = dead set, 10 c, d.
1829Examiner 609/1 ‘A set’ is made upon him of the most inveterate and splenetic character. 1850Chubb Locks & Keys 17 When ‘a set’ is made at a bank, every information is..sought for, by the burglars. 1857A. Mathews Tea-Table T. I. 136 On one occasion, at a noble table, a great set was made at him. 1857A. Mayhew Paved with Gold ii. x, A direct set upon Phil was made by the satirical young rogues. 1887W. E. Norris Major & Minor xxiii, No one could say that Miss N. was making a set at him.
b. A grudge. Chiefly in phr. to have (or take) a set on (a person), to have a grudge against. Austral. and N.Z. colloq. Cf. set v. 125 b.
1903‘T. Collins’ Such is Life (1937) i. 36 ‘Hasn't Warrigal Alf got a set on you, too?’ asked Thompson coldly. 1941Baker Dict. Austral. Slang 64 Set, a grudge against (someone), e.g., ‘have a set on someone’. 1946K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) xiv. 228 If the Old Man hadn't tried to give Mark Thorne such particular hell when he was starting his shop, perhaps Thorne wouldn't have taken a set on all the Sudermans... If he hadn't the set on the Sudermans..he wouldn't have wanted to cut off his nose to spite his face. 1948D. Ballantyne Cunninghams (1963) ii. vi. 155 He had a bit of a set on Frank and Sydney and was always pinching their cheeks and telling them they were young roughnecks.
8. (Usually sett.) A form of power used by shipwrights: see quots.
1794Rigging & Seamanship I. 10 The sett is made by driving wedges between the head or heel of the shore. Ibid. 19 Both must be set close together with cross-setts. 1815Falconer's Dict. Marine (ed. Burney), Setts, in mast-making denotes powers made use of, where force is required to bring or unite two or more pieces together, and is performed by screws, shores, cross-setts, or cleats. 1874Thearle Naval Archit. 83 A ‘set’ or pressure is obtained by means of other pins driven and wedged into holes on the opposite side of the angle-iron.
9. a. The action of setting or hardening, or the condition of being set. to take a set: to set.
1837J. T. Smith tr. Vicat's Mortars 53 The ‘time of set’ may sometimes transgress the prescribed limits. 1839Civ. Engin. & Arch. Jrnl. II. 69/1 Before the cement was perfectly hardened and had taken a set. 1923Rep. Progr. Appl. Chem. VIII. 231 The time of set has been found to depend upon the proportion of combined water..in the hydrated calcium aluminate. Ibid., Removal of water..results in the time of set being reduced. 1957V. J. Kehoe Technique Film & Telev. Make-Up xii. 149 Warm weather hastens the set of the material, so chilling the bowl is advisable to slow down the set. 1963D. Seton Essent. Mod. Cookery 156 The use of lemon juice or citric or tartaric acid is essential to ensure a good set [in marmalade].
b. initial set (Building), a condition attained by cement when it begins to stiffen, but before hardening commences.
1891T. Potter Concrete (ed. 2) I. iii. 104 If a plasterer finds his mortar for stucco is becoming too stiff..the initial set has commenced. 1927Engineer 5 Aug. 143/2 At the completion of the operation the concrete has taken an initial set. 1953Van den Branden & Knowles Plastering iv. 98 The initial set of Portland cement mortar occurs about two to three hours after the dry materials have been wetted.
10. dead set: often in phr. to make a dead set at.
†a. slang. (See quots.)
1725New Cant. Dict., Set, as Dead Set, a Term used by Thief-catchers when they have a Certainty of seizing some of their Clients. 1785Grose Dict. Vulgar T., Set, a dead set, a concerted scheme to defraud a person by gaming.
†b. A fixed look. Obs.
1781G. Parker View Soc. I. 196 The Doctor..gave me what I term the dead set with his eye.
c. A pointed attack; a determined onslaught; const. at, against. Also, an attitude or position of hostility.
1835Fonblanque Eng. under 7 Administr. (1837) III. 274 The abhorrence of every thing like a ‘dead set’, or an attempt to run down a man by abuse and clamour. 1836Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) IV. 91 A dead set is to be made from various quarters, against the abominable innovation of publishing Divisions by authority. 1841Keble Let. to Newman 19 July, It was plain from the moment Young went into the room that a dead set was to be made at him. 1859Hotten's Slang Dict. s.v., ‘A dead set’, a determined stand, in argument or in movement. 1885Manch. Evening News 16 July 2/1 The disaffected sections of the Irish population made a dead set against him from the first.
d. Of a woman: A determined attempt to gain a man's affections. Also occas. conversely of a man.
1823Byron Juan xiv. xlii, Her late performance had been a dead set At Lord Augustus. 1825T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Sutherl. (Colburn) 3 James had..made a ‘dead set’ at a ‘fortune’. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair iii, There was a girl at Dumdum..who made a dead set at me in the year '4. 1883F. M. Crawford Dr. Claudius xvii, I made a dead set at a new beauty just arrived from the South. 1894F. M. Elliot Roman Gossip v. 148 Women all through his life made a dead set at Garibaldi.
e. An absolute stop; a complete check; phr. at a dead set. Also University slang = dead n.1 5.
1806T. S. Surr Winter in Lond. III. 211 Hollo—what's this!—the duchess of Drinkwater at a dead sett! 1848Webster s.v. Set, To be at a dead set, is to be in a fixed state or condition which precludes further progress. a1851in B. H. Hall College Words 92 See the front of Logic lower; Screws, dead-sets, and fines. 1854Thoreau Walden i. (1863) 72 The man is at a dead set who has got through a knot hole or gateway where his sledge load of furniture cannot follow him.
f. Sporting. An abrupt stop made by an animal with its muzzle in the direction of the prey; esp. the position taken up by a dog in pointing game. (Cf. 6.)
1819T. B. Johnson Shooter's Comp. 23 Happening to pass a small bush, with the whelp close to me..when the bitch was at a distance, he made a dead set. 1863W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting v. 122 He made a dead set, getting my wind; and immediately made a desperate charge.
II. The manner or position in which a thing is set.
†11. The way in which something is set down in writing. Obs. rare.
1535Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 27 Ane herald..Quhilk schew to him ilk word fra end to end,..In forme and sett as I haif said ȝow heir.
12. Tendency, inclination; determination (of the mind, character, action, etc.) in a certain direction; often = settled direction, fixed habit. Also spec. in Psychol., a predisposition or expectation that influences the response of a person or animal: used variously of conscious or unconscious, or of mental or physical, states. Cf. set v. 93 c.
1567J. Maplet Gr. Forest 14 There is another kind of Lodestone..that is of contrarie set and disposition, which will haue none of Iron. 1603Daniel Def. Rhime Wks. (1717) 7 Which Frame of Words..are disposed into divers Fashions, according to the Humour of the Composer, and the Set of the Time. c1620Fletcher False One ii. ii, Here's a strange alteration in the Court; Mens Faces are of other setts and motions. 1692Burnet Past. Care vii. 80 Tully's Offices will give the Mind a noble sett. 1730T. Boston Mem. viii. (1899) 168 The Lord was pleased to give my heart a set toward the preaching of Christ. 1847H. Miller First Impr. Eng. xvi. (1857) 268 The poetical mind of England had taken an inveterate set. 1852Blackie On Studying Lang. 10 In the..process by which the mother tongue is acquired, the mind acquires a habit and a set. 1890W. James Princ. Psychol. I. iv. 124 It is not in the moment of their forming, but in the moment of their producing motor effects, that resolves and aspirations communicate the new ‘set’ to the brain. 1898Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 843 Strain of the heart,—that is, of a permanent ‘after-strain’ or ‘set’ towards other than the normal lines of its action. 1911E. L. Thorndike Animal Intell. vi. 249 If a cat pushes a button around with its nose, while..the act to which its general ‘set’ impels it..is that of clawing at an opening, it will be less aided in the formation of the habit than if it had been chiefly concerned in what its nose was doing. 1918R. S. Woodworth Dynamic Psychol. iii. 56 Danger arouses a ‘set’ of the nervous system towards escape. 1931Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. Apr. 379 The theory..that ability in proof-reading is largely a matter of attitude or mental ‘set’. 1953J. B. Carroll Study of Lang. iii. 77 There are actually prelinguistic organismic events (sets, attitudes, etc.) which can be identified with what expression theorists regard as ‘thoughts’ and ‘ideas’. 1968Science 13 Dec. 1236/1 ‘Set’ refers to the subject's psychological expectations of what a drug will do to him in relation to his general personality structure. 1979Forgus & Shulman Personality i. 9 We can measure the dominant perceptual sets..and..these sets, in fact, direct perceptual selectivity.
13. The direction in which a current flows or a wind blows; also, the action of the water, etc. in taking a particular direction.
Locally applied to particular currents.
1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 193 How the Sets of the Tide, or Currents lay, when the Flood came in. 1755J. Shebbeare Lydia (1769) I. 125 By a sudden sett of the sea..Jack tumbled forward. 1793Phil. Trans. LXXXIII. 189 Although the northern set was trifling..; yet the wind, being both scant and light, we could never overcome the tendency of the current. 1823W. Scoresby Jrnl. 350 The set of the ice. 1827Fonblanque Eng. under 7 Administr. (1837) I. 13 As straws show the set of the wind. 1876Farrar Marlb. Serm. ii. 19 A feather will show you the direction of the wind; a straw will prove the set of a current. 1879Scribner's Monthly XIX. 327/1 Often in storms a strong swift current runs along the coast between the outer bar and the shore, called by the surf-men the ‘set’ or ‘cut’.
14. a. The build or make of a person. Obs. exc. dial.
1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xxiv. (1623) 1186 Of a bigge and broad set. c1620Fletcher Custom of Country i. v, A goodly gentleman, Of a more manly set I never look'd on. 1708Brit. Apollo No. 32. 4/2 He is of a Squat Set. 1825Jamieson, Set..8. Shape, figure, cast, make, Aberd[een]. 1888Harper's Mag. Jan. 291/2 Something effective and picturesque in the set of his strongly built frame.
†b. gen. ? Shape. Obs.
1567J. Maplet Gr. Forest 46 Houselike..for his endurance is resembled to Ambrosia..for his roundset [? read round set] or figure to the Bullocks eie.
15. Weaving. (Usually sett.) The adjustment of the reeds (of a loom) necessary for the making of a fabric of a particular texture; hence, the make of a fabric as determined by this.
1780A. Young Tour. Irel. I. 324 The grist or fineness of the yarn, determines the set or fineness of the reed through which it is to be wrought. 1833J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 350 When the set of the web is from three fourths of an inch to forty meshes in the inch. 1879T. R. Ashenhurst Weaving, etc. 272 The systems of calculating the sett of reeds. Ibid., If a cloth contains sixty threads per inch, it would be said to be a sixty sett cloth. 1893Times 10 July 4/6 Medium and heavy setts of powerlooms are having most attention, fine descriptions being almost neglected.
b. (Usually sett.) Each or any of the squares in the pattern of a tartan; the pattern itself.
1721Ramsay Tartana 197 The Plaid itself gives pleasure to the sight, To see how all its sets imbibe the light. 1725― Gentle Sheph. i. i, Scarlet and green the sets, the borders blue. 1811A. Grant Superst. Highl. II. 207 Every clan wore a different set..of tartan. 1819Scott Leg. Montrose viii, How many checks in the sett of his plaid and trews. 1897Standard 21 Sept. 7/1 The Murray ‘sett’.
16. The form which a body assumes as the result of strain or pressure or in the process of solidification, etc.; esp. the permanent deflexion of a bar or plate of metal or wood.
1812P. Nicholson Mech. Exerc. 85 When the timbers are sagged, either by casting or by a set. 1824Tredgold Ess. Cast iron (ed. 2) 81 That iron is to be esteemed the best which will bear the greatest degree of flexure without set. 1847H. Miller First Impr. Eng. xii. (1857) 204 Like a piece of old elastic parchment that had been acquiring for ages the set of the roll. 1869M. Somerville Molec. Sci. i. ii. 77 The..phenomena of crystals depends upon unequal conductibility..and their set is determined by the difference between the forces of attraction and repulsion. 1883Science I. 174/1 The ‘set’ of a zinc bar when heated. 1886Cheshire Gloss. s.v., When the crystals of bay-salt begin to form upon the strings and thorns, the pan is said to have a good or a bad set according as the crystals are large or small. 1888Lockwood's Dict. Terms Mech. Engin., Permanent set, that amount of deflection from which a beam or structure is unable to return to its original form, but which remains constant. 1903Kipling Five Nations 24 Turning the shingle, returning the shingle, changing the set of the sand.
17. The way in which an article of dress is arranged or ‘hangs’; also similarly of a ship's sails.
1822Examiner 68/2 Studying the set of her bonnet. 1827Fonblanque Eng. under 7 Administr. (1837) I. 107 She who shapes the mistress's caps, and gives the set to her head-dress—the lady's maid! 1828H. Le Blanc Art of Tying the Cravat (ed. 2) 65 Scrutinizing examination will be made on the set of his Cravat. 1845Mrs. M. J. Howell Hand-bk. Dress-making 40 In order to give the skirt a pretty ‘set’. 1881Daily Tel. 28 Jan., Considering the squareness of her bows and the set of her canvas. 1896Kipling Seven Seas 166 The set o' the tunic's 'orrid.
18. a. The position or attitude (either occasional or habitual) given to a limb or a part of the body.
1855Bain Senses & Int. iii. i. §3 (1864) 335 A peculiar set of the limb, for example, the turning out of the toes. 1863B. Taylor Han. Thurston iv, His yellow hair..grew back from the temples with a sturdy set. 1876Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. vii, The set of her head and neck. 1896Kipling Seven Seas 165 'E saw the set o' my shoulders.
b. The action or result of fixing the hair when damp so that it dries in the required style. Also with reference to fixing the hair by other means (with heat, a setting lotion, etc.), and as hair-set. Cf. set v.1 81 b.
1933G. A. Foan Art & Craft Hairdressing Spec. Suppl. iv. 23/2 The procedure here outlined in reference to the final touch must be followed exactly as indicated in order to prevent entirely spoiling the set. 1938H. Goodman Princ. Professional Beauty Culture v. 90 After permanent set the intramolecular breakdown and rebuilding processes have effectively evolved a new..conformation. 1940W. Peck Bewildering Cares iv. 110, I met her once at the hairdresser's bewailing that she couldn't afford a nice steak for Herbert on their income, and she had obviously spent the price of it on a ‘set’. 1946K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) xiii. 204 You can't get a hairset here and I have to do my own. 1975Country Life 27 Mar. 806/1 Many women disliked wearing a hat because it squashed their ‘set’.
19. a. The inclination or dip of the arm of an axle-tree; the elevation of a gun.
1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 1163 Were all wheels made with one uniform degree of dish, we should then have one simple standard for the set of the axle-arms. 1852Burn Nav. & Milit. Dict. s.v., To give the proper set or dip. 1876Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 1898Encycl. Sport II. 168/2 (Punt shooting), ‘Set’ of the gun, the elevation given to the gun as it lies on the gun-rest.
b. The slight lateral deflexion in opposite directions of the alternate teeth of a saw; the amount of this deflexion.
1837L. Hebert Engin. & Mech. Encycl. II. 630 Each successive tooth is placed in opposite directions, at the desired set, to allow the blade of the saw to pass through the wood without resistance. 1853Ure Dict. Arts II. 584 The ‘set’ of the saw consists in inclining the teeth at the particular angle known to be the best to facilitate the exit of the sawdust. 1875Knight Dict. Mech. 1047/1 Hack-saw, a frame saw of moderate set.
c. Typogr. (See quots.)
1892Southward's Pract. Printing (ed. 4) 29 note, The set of the types signifies the proper position of the letters, with reference to the precise amount of space between them. 1908Legros in Proc. Instit. Mech. Engin. Dec. 1043 As the letters are not only unequal in set, and since the widths of set generally bear no particular relation to the em (or body). Ibid. 1075 The mould thus made is of definite size for body but variable for the width of set.
d. Bell-ringing. The inverted position of a bell when it is set. Cf. set v. 66.
1677F. Stedman Campanalogia 23 A prospect of true ringing at any certain compass under the Sett, may thus be taken. Ibid. 39 The reason why one of them is said to move up, is, because he that rings that bell, in the making of the change must hold it up at the Sett a little longer than ordinary, to delay its striking, whereby 'tis made to follow the other note which before it preceded. 1901H. E. Bulwer Gloss. Techn. Terms Bells (1904) 33 Set, the position of a bell after being ‘raised’, when it rests mouth upward a little beyond the balancing point [etc.].
e. Carpentry. The amount that the blade of a plane projects below the sole.
1898F. & H. P. Fletcher Carpentry & Joinery xxvi. 281 The set of the plane may be adjusted during use by tapping the iron of the nose. 1950M. T. Telling Carpentry & Joinery ii. 116 All [planes] will do specially true work if properly set and sharpened and many of them have mechanical means of adjusting the cutting iron to a fine set.
III. Something which is set.
†20. An area marked out for a hunt. Obs.
c1410Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxv, The maister of þe game shulde be accorded with þe maister forster or parker whedyr þat it be where þe kynge shall hunte suche a daye. And if þe sette be wyde [etc.]. Ibid., Þe maister of þe game shulde be enformed by þe forster or þe parker, what game þe kyng shall fynde withinne his sette.
21. (Usually sett.) The area of ground worked by a particular mining company. Chiefly Cornwall. (Cf. 3 b.)
1778Pryce Min. Cornub. 326 A Set is the ground granted to a company of Adventurers. 1835English's Mining Rev. July 113 The setts comprise a circumference of several miles, and abound in lodes producing argentiferous ores. 1839H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornwall, etc. xv. 537 The bounder had the right of granting the sett. 1855Leifchild Cornwall 136 The lord of the soil grants a sett.., or portion of mining soil, for a lease of years. 1893Daily News 11 Jan. 2/1 There are many old workings in Wheal Owles, and several setts have of late years been discontinued.
†22. ? An ornament of jewellery set on a garment. Obs.
1502Priv. Purse Exp. Eliz. York (1830) 21 Spangelles settes..sterrys dropes and pointes..for garnisshing of jakettes. 1542Inv. Royal Wardrobe (1815) 67 Upon the samyne bonet tene settis, in every set four dyomonttis,..with xxiiii settis of perle in every set four perle. Ibid. 67–68 Tene plain dyamonttis in settis of gold, xviii settis of perle, & thrie in every set, and nyne set lang, and four in every sett.
23. a. ‘Any thing not sown, but put in a state of some growth into the ground’ (J.); a twig, slip, or sucker, used for planting or grafting; also, a young plant, esp. a bedding-out plant.
1513Douglas æneis xii. Prol. 133 The plane pulderyt with semely settis sovnd. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §127 Take a sharpe hatchet..and cutte the settes in a playne place, nyghe vnto the erthe. Ibid., At euery two fote, or iii fote, to leaue one set growyng not plasshed. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. 26 b, To ympe or graffe yong settes. 1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 67 Do they growe of the seede, or of the sette? 1615W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1626) 12 It shall grieue you much to see your yong sets rubd loose at the roots. 1618Shuttleworths' Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 233, ij hundrethe setts of lycorise for my Mris, iiijs. 1669Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 147 Chuse the largest Sets that you can get; which are to be had best out of a Garden well kept. 1760Brown Compl. Farmer ii. 107 One runner will make many setts. 1848Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IX. ii. 563 The hop-set is no sooner put in the ground than its enemies find it out. 1877N.W. Linc. Gloss., Set..(2) Young plants of any kind used for bedding out. 1894Daily News 15 Jan. 6/6 Find a swampy place, and get good setts (that is, two or three year old withy).
fig.16051st Pt. Ieronimo iii. ii. 123 This arme neare met So strong a courage of so greene a set. 1662Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 80 We may..graft an Set of our own upon their motion.
b. A potato, or a portion of a potato, used as seed. local.
1767A. Young Farmer's Lett. to People 12 Dropping potatoe setts. 1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 655 The tubers are either planted whole, or cut into parts called sets. 1896P. A. Graham Red Scaur vi. 83, I found her and Mark and Elsie planting potatoes... She carried a basket of ‘sets’,..and Mark was doing the hard work of digging. 1901Dundee Adv. 23 Apr. 4 The common potato growing practice is to allow..six inches from sett to sett of the seed.
†c. A shoot. Obs.
1675Evelyn Fr. Gard. 182 When you have cut off the heads of your Cabbages..they will produce small sets, which the Italians call Broccoly.
d. An undeveloped or rudimentary fruit; collect., flowers that have been fertilized and should develop into fruit. Also, the development of fruit following fertilization. Cf. set v. 98.
1888C. M. Doughty Trav. in Arabia Deserta II. xv. 436 Every cluster, which had inclosed in it a spray of the male blossom, was lapped about with a wisp of dry forage; and this defended the sets from early flights of locusts. 1928Daily Tel. 12 June 5/2 Of culinary apples the set appears good on the whole... Dessert cherries have had a fair set. 1929Aucter & Knapp Orchard & Small Fruit Culture viii. 369 In such orchards, if the blossoms are properly pollinated, much better sets occur. 1964H. B. Tukey Dwarfed Fruit Trees xxiii. 422 Bee flight is noticeably reduced at 60 degrees F. or below, and pollination, fertilization, and fruit set are accordingly reduced. 1973H. G. Kingham U.K. Tomato Man. xvi. 126 For all crops overhead damping with a course spray helps to improve set.
†24. The stake put down at dice, etc. Also fig.
1537in Privy Purse Exp. Hen. VIII (1827) 143 Paied to the iij Cotons for iij settes the whiche the kinges grace loste to them in Grenewiche parke. 1586A. Day Eng. Secretary ii. (1595) 39 The plaie that I vsed was with them, the sette by agreement not great, concluded vppon more to passe time, then wherof to make gaine. 1602Heywood Wom. killed w. Kindn. (1617) E 2, Let them that are taken playing false forfet the Set. 1611Cotgr., Mommon..a set, by a Mummer, at dice.
†25.
a. A game at dice or cards; hence, the number of points to be made in order to be ‘up’.
1594Henslowe Diary (1845) 47 [Title of play] The seat at mawe. 1611Florio, Partita,..a set or match at any game. 1633Ford Love's Sacr. iii. G 2 b, You were best to try a set at Maw. 1667Dryden & Dk. Newcastle Sir M. Mar-all 1, I lose all my sets, when I want but one of up. 1680Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) 58 Picket... The usual Set is an hundred. Ibid. 75 At Cribbidge..the number of the Set is sixty one. Ibid. 79 This Game I conceive is called All-Fours from Highest, Lowest, Jack, and Game, which is the Set as some play it. 1687Sedley Bellamira iv. i. Wks. 1778 II. 161, I lost three sets at back-gammon.
†b. fig. Match, contest. Obs.
c1605Rowley Birth of Merlin i. i, Your Sister and Lord Edwin are in game, And all their wits at stake to win the Set. 1649G. Daniel Trinarch., Rich. II, cclxxxvi, If the sword must try it, Hee had an Equall sett, and choos'd to play it. 1687Dryden Hind & P. ii. 161 That was but civil war, an equal set, Where Piles with piles, and Eagles Eagles met.
26. Real Tennis (sometimes spelt sett): A group of six games which counts as a unit to the side that wins more than half of them; see also quot. a 1769. Lawn Tennis (always spelt set): A group of games counting as a unit towards a match for the person or pair of persons who win the greater number of games in it.
1578Florio 1st Fruites 8, I will goe see some play at Tenise, and perhaps play also: will you play two or three settes with me? 1591― 2nd Fruites 25 P. How manie are you my masters? H. We are but two that will plaie. P. Will you plaie in set? 1630R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 185 Ye shall see them play Sets at Tennis in the heat of Summer. a1769Hoyle Games (1778) 203 Six Games make a Set of Tennis, but if what is called an Advantage Set is played, two successive Games above five Games must be won to decide; or, in Case it should be six Games all, two successive Games must still be won on one Side to conclude the Set. 1822Scott Nigel xxiii, Perhaps you would like a set at tennis, or a game at balloon. 1886Field 31 July 182/2 Mr. Joy only beat Mr. Thorpe after all three sets had been exhausted. 1891‘J. S. Winter’ Lumley the Painter 36 I shouldn't have liked to lose my first sett with you. 1949Lawn Tennis (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) 15 The first player or pair to win six games wins the set, except that should the score become five games each—‘Five All’—one player or pair must become two games ahead to win the set. 1980Guardian 14 July 18/5 Miss Jevans..had a bad patch in the second set before winning 6–1, 7–5.
b. Comb., as set point, the state of a set when one side or player needs only one point to win the set; also, the point itself (cf. match-point (a) s.v. match n.1).
1928Observer 1 July 29/3 When that cunning player..would, at set-point, send one as hard as he could hit it straight down the centre line. 1946Times 26 June 2/3 The Dutch pair, after missing a set point when leading by six games to five, finally secured the first set at 9–7. 1972D. Delman Sudden Death vi. 152 Set point. I crouch, racket twirling.
†27. One of the pleats of a ruff; also, the arrangement of a ruff in pleats. Obs.
1594Nashe Unfort. Trav. Wks. 1904 II. 255, I warrant you should not see one set of her neckercher peruerted or turned awrie. 1601Dent Pathw. Heaven (1617) 47 Some are as proud of their falling bands and little sets, as others are of their great ruffes. 1608Machin Dumb Knt. i. i. B 2 b, You haue a pretty set too, how big is the steele you set with? 1610B. Jonson Alch. iv. iii, He speakes out of a fortification 'Pray god, he ha' no squibs in those deep sets. 1651Randolph's Hey for Honestie iii. iii. 27 The sets of my old Ruffe lookt like so many Organ-Pipes.
28. = set scene: see set ppl. a. 8. Also, more widely, the setting, stage furniture, etc., used on stage in a theatre. In Film-making and Television, the scenery (usu. built up rather than painted) and other properties used in the filming of an individual scene; the place or area in which filming takes place. Freq. in phr. on or off (the) set. Also attrib. and Comb. Cf. film set s.v. film n. 7 c.
1859E. Fitzball Thirty-Five Years of Dramatic Author's Life I. vi. 91 The vast scenes were pushed into sets, imperfectly painted. 1861Cornh. Mag. IV. 169 In the Frogs, we have..a grand full stage ‘set’ of the Acherusian lake. 1868M. E. Braddon Dead Sea Fr. xxvi. II. 296 If such a set were only manageable at the Bonbonnière! But we have not enough depth for this kind of thing. 1880Theatre Apr. 223 The set was excellent, representing the interior of an Elizabethan house. 1894Mrs. H. Ward Marcella I. i. i. 5 The complete disappearance of this earliest ‘set’, to use a theatrical phrase, from the scenery of her childhood. 1912F. A. Talbot Moving Pictures: How they are made & Worked x. (caption facing p. 109), Building a solid set for ‘The Two Orphans’. 1918H. Croy How Motion Pictures are Made 107 With the sets determined upon, preparation for the taking of the picture is begun. 1936Wodehouse Laughing Gas iv. 51 She was supposed to be on the set, made up, at six on the following a.m. for some retakes. 1947A. Huxley Let. 27 July (1969) 573 The ticklish situation on the set made it impossible to come to New York for Claire's wedding. 1953K. Reisz Technique Film Editing i. 60 Dialogue-writing, set-design and acting all become subjugated to this central purpose. 1956C. McCullers in Mademoiselle Sept. 174/2 Mabel Goodley, the painter and set-designer. 1961G. Millerson Telev. Production i. 15 The set designer, responsible for the scenic treatment. 1973Listener 22 Nov. 727/3 The same people are very much less agreeable in Meet Pamela than they are ‘off-set’ in Day for Night. 1977M. Babson Murder, Murder, Little Star xviii. 154 Had there been a further scene..in the dressing-room? Twinkle was being too good on set.
29. (Usually sett.) A squared stone (chiefly granite) used for paving.
1871Williamson Science Lect. Ser. ii. 98 Those square stones which I think are technically called ‘sets’. 1880Daily News 7 Dec. 6/3 One of the small steamers which trade with setts from the quarries. Ibid. 9 Dec. 1/3 A sett stone quarry. 1905Academy 9 Sept. 935/1 The streets used to be paved with setts taken from the black marble quarry.
30. Miscellaneous technical senses.
a. Plastering. The finishing coat on walls prepared for painting. b. In pile-driving, etc., a body placed between the hammer and the object to be struck. c. Fishing. (a) = ‘set net’ (see set ppl. a.); chiefly eel-set. (b) See quot. 1867. (Cf. MDu. set, sete.) d. Mining. (See quots.) e. Saddlery. ‘The filling of deer's hair or other stuffing beneath the ground seat of a saddle, to bring the top seat to its shape’ (Knight Dict. Mech. 1875). f. (a) A young oyster when first attached; (b) the crop of young oysters in a locality. g. N. Amer. Trapping. A trap or snare; a series of traps.
a.1823P. Nicholson Pract. Builder 373 As the plasterer lays on the set, he draws the brush backwards and forwards over it, till the surface is smooth. 1825[see rendering vbl. n. 3 a].
b.1837in Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. (1838) I. 242/2 A set is then applied to the end of the wedge, and the workman strikes it with a hammer. 1842Gwilt Archit. 1031 Sett, in piling, a piece placed temporarily on the head of a pile.
c.a1808State, Leslie v. Fraser 56 (Jam.) The practice of hauling their fishing-nets and feith-sets to the shore. 1867F. Francis Angling iv. (1880) 106 The angler..hooks the fish on to his line by a certain arrangement of hooks called a flight or set. 1882Blackw. Mag. Jan. 102 The silver⁓bellied eel..is only caught in the eel-sets. 1892Longman's Mag. Nov. 88 Along the Norfolk rivers a very important eel fishery is carried on by means of fixed nets known as ‘eel-sets’.
d.1858R. Hunt Catal. Mus. Pract. Geol. 223 The pillars are taken away, commencing at the extreme end of the sett. 1862Chamb. Jrnl. Apr. 216 The strait sets are excavations four or five feet wide..made..in the side of a seam of coal at a distance of about six yards from each other. 1883Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining, Sett, a measure of length along the face of a stall, usually from say 6 to 10 feet, by which holers and drivers are paid. A certain number of setts comprise a day's work.
f.1881Ingersoll Oyster-Industry 248 ‘The Set is good in Somerset this year’; i.e., there is an abundance of infant oysters. 1887Goode, etc. Fish. Industr. U.S. v. II. 515 At only a few places does a breed of oysters, or a ‘set’, as it is termed, occur with any regularity. Ibid. 540 note, There is no word in the Northern States for infant oysters, except the terms ‘set’, ‘spat’, ‘spawn’, &c.
g.1912V. E. Roe Maid of Whispering Hills 74 What is all this beside that which waits the runner of the trail at every ‘set’ in those many miles? 1942Sun (Baltimore) 2 Feb. 4/3 Each morning the trapper makes the rounds of his ‘set’. He strips the skin from the animals..and takes the pelts to market. 1977Globe & Mail (Toronto) 30 Mar. 33/3 We were still within 20 yards of the trap's position, when a 55-pound beaver, swimming unseen under the ice, hit the set.
IV. A place where something is set.
31. A place where stationary fishing nets are fixed.
1745F. Blomefield Topogr. Hist. Norfolk II. 866 There were 19 appropriated Fishing-Places, which they called Setts, which were yearly allotted by the Mayor, to certain Fresh-Water Fishermen. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Sett, the particular spot in a river or frith, where stationary nets are fixed.
32. The earth or burrow of a badger.
1898A. E. Pease Badger 40, I knew of nine badger ‘sets’ in the vicinity. Ibid. 44 A badger's earth or warren is properly and generally called a ‘set’ or ‘cete’. 1908Nation 6 June 340/2 For a year or two past the brocks had held their sett in the brake.
V.
33. (Often sett.) A tool or device used for ‘setting’ (in various technical senses); esp. a heavy punch or chisel for use on metal or stone. Cf. sate n.: see quots.
1750T. R. Blanckley Nav. Expositor, Setts for Saws, are for setting the Teeth when out of Order, so as they may cut with the greater Exactness. 1812P. Nicholson Mech. Exerc., Smithing 353 Side Set, a hammer used to set shoulders of rivets to a true square or bevel, as required. 1843Holtzapffel Turning I. 387 The work..is bent over with the blows of a flat-ended punch or set. 1846[see saw-set s.v. saw n.1 5 d]. 1881Design & Work 24 Dec. 451/2 The operation of ‘driving’ rivets consists in placing a set on the end of the rivet, and sledging it down to form the head. 1888Lockwood's Dict. Terms Mech. Engin., Set, or Sett, (1) a narrow square nosed or round nosed chisel-like tool used by fitters and boiler makers for chipping grooves in metal. (2) Broad chisel-like tools used for cutting off hot or cold bars on the anvil. Ibid., Hook Wrench, or Set, or Hand Hook, a smith's tool used for taking work out of winding or out of twist. 1892Labour Commission Gloss., Sett, a piece of bar-iron bent to the same curvature or shape that an iron pipe is required to take. 1905P. N. Hasluck Handyman's Bk. 134/1 For punching the nail head below the surface of the work, the steel set is used. 1920A. H. Fay Gloss. Mining & Mineral Industry 605/1 Sett, a quarryman's term for a square-faced steel tool which is held in position and struck with a sledge to cause a fracture in a rock mass. 1924[see bolster n.2]. 1942W. H. Atherton Workshop Pract. (ed. 2) V. 176 The Hot Sate or Sett..is in constant use for cutting away extraneous metal while hot. 1962J. G. Robertson Metalwork viii. 95 The Hot Set (Sett or Sate)..is used for cutting off on the cutting face of the anvil. A smith holds the work and hot set whilst a striker wields the sledge hammer. The hot set is designed to cut hot metal. 1964H. Hodges Artifacts iv. 77 The heads were either cast, or formed as the rivets were closed using sets (setts) or snaps.
▪ II. set, n.2|sɛt|
Also 4–6 sette, 5– sett.
[orig. (in sense 1) a. OF. sette:—L. secta sect n.1, but in subsequent developments of meaning influenced by set v.1 and apprehended as equivalent to ‘number set together’. The application to things (branch II) may be partly due to MLG. gesette set or suite (of pieces), whence app. G. gesetz set of knitting-needles, etc., Da. sæt set of china, suit of clothes.]
I. A number or group of persons.
†1. A religious body, sect. Obs.
1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 41 After þe deþ of Machometus þat cursede secte encresede so faste þat it drouȝ myȝti men of Pers to þe corsed lawe of þe Arabes. Al þat sette haþ infecte..al Affrica. c1500Melusine xxxvi. 272 Many other of our sette and lawe. c1520Nisbet N.T. Acts xxiv. 14 Eftir the sett [Wycl. secte] quhilk thai say herresie, sa I serue to God the fadir. Ibid. 2 Pet. ii. 1 Maistris learis, that sal bring in settis [Wycl. sectes] of perditioun. 1538in Archbold Somerset Relig. Houses (1892) 80 What ys my lord Audley, a man off ye new sett or arfter ye olde sorte?
transf.c1450Mankind 372 Ȝe wolde haue me of yowur sett?
2. a. A number, company, or group (of persons) associated by community of status, habits, occupations, or interests. Often with depreciatory implication (cf. lot n. 8). In the 17th–18th c. freq. spelt sett. [Prob. transf. from uses in branch II.]
1682Tate Abs. & Achit. ii. 533 The rest..Who ne'er had wit nor will for mischief yet. But pleased to be reputed of a set. 1693Locke Educ. §122. 151 A Sett of Children thus ordered, and kept from the ill example of others, would..learn to read, write, and what else one would have them, as others do their ordinary Plays. 1701[W. Paterson] Counc. Trade 72 The Fisheries were become a tempting Morsel for a Sett of avaricious Hucksters, and Monopolists. 1705Addison Italy, Venice 105 A Set of Artisans, that by the help of several Poles..build themselves up into a kind of Pyramid. 1712― Spect. No. 440 ⁋1 A Sett of merry Fellows. 1733J. Barber Let. to Swift 6 Feb., I have been, for many years, plagued with a sett of ungrateful monsters, called Cousins, that I tremble at the name. 1774J. Bryant Mythol. I. 258 This kind of divination is still carried on by a set of priests. 1779Johnson L.P., Yalden Wks. III. 229 A very numerous and splendid set of acquaintance. 1815Scott Guy M. xlvii, A set of smugglers, gipsies, and other desperadoes. 1837H. Martineau Soc. Amer. II. 164, I think the abolitionists of the United States the most reasonable set of people that I ever knew to be united together for one object. 1866Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxiii. 601 In the hope that a new set of customers might be developed. 1894E. T. Ayers Bowls 26 The six [players] divide or ‘cut’ into two sets of three.
b. absol. (cf. sense 3).
1683Kennett tr. Erasm. on Folly 34 There will come a new hungry Sett. 1691Dryden Prol. to K. Arthur 38 Among the rest there are a sharping Sett. a1704T. Brown Praise Poverty Wks. 1730 I. 92 If this sett were thrown aside and men of poverty and honesty put in their stead. 1758Johnson Idler No. 78 ⁋3 There was a select sett, supposed to be distinguished by superiority of intellects. 1826Disraeli Viv. Grey ii. xiv, ‘Who are we among,..?’ asked Vivian. ‘Oh! an odd set,’ said the lady, looking dignified. 1845Ford Handbk. Spain i. 16 A highly trustworthy laborious and hardworking set. 1869H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey I. 292 The shepherds were an uncouth-looking set. 1885L'pool Daily Post 23 Oct. 4/7 He did not speak or preach in the dialect of any party or set.
†c. A political group or party. Obs.
1748Thomson Cast. Indol. i. liv, In comes another sett, and kicketh them downstairs. 1750in Priv. Lett. Ld. Malmesbury (1870) I. 78 That the Bedford set will be honourably kicked up or down stairs. 1790Burke Corr. (1844) III. 140, I intend no controversy with Dr. Price, or Lord Shelburne, or any other of their set.
d. A subdivision of pupils or students (esp. in a single year) for instruction on a particular subject: usu. one of a number of such groupings and often constituted according to ability.
1882in R. S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. i. iii. 90 Place in 3rd Set of 14 boys for ½ Term—14th. 1889Boy's Own Paper 7 Sept. 781 Those dry definitions [of Euclid] seem twaddle to me (I admit I am low in my set). 1914‘I. Hay’ Lighter Side School Life i. 15 He must know whether Mr. A. in the Senior Science Set is expounding theories of inorganic chemistry which have been obsolete for ten years. 1963M. Beadle These Ruins are Inhabited vi. 86 Sets are ability groups. In each subject the boys had been divided into fast, average and slower-moving sections; each of these sets met as a class. 1971P. D. James Shroud for Nightingale ii. 41 We haven't used the demonstration room since Nurse Pearce's death but otherwise the set is continuing to work according to plan.
e. A gang of pickers assigned to a hop-bin.
1805R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 752 Three, four, or more pickers being employed in clearing the binds of the hops..: these, with the person engaged in sorting the poles, are denominated a set.
3. a. A group of persons in society having its own peculiar interests, fashions, and conventions; a social group of a select or exclusive character. Freq. with qualifying adj. or n. indicating the location, affiliation, or characteristic activities of the group, as the Bloomsbury (Chelsea, Cliveden, etc.) set. smart set: see smart a. 13. Cf. jet set s.v. jet n.3 11.
1777Sheridan Sch. Scandal i. ii, The set she meets at her house, encourage the perverseness of her disposition. 1798S. & Ht. Lee Cant. T., Young Lady's T. II. 91 Sir Edward, not deigning to mingle with the set, leaned on his daughter's chair. c1815Jane Austen Persuasion II. iv. (1833) 346 They will move in the first set in Bath. 1837H. Martineau Soc. Amer. III. 33 What a delightful ‘set’ she belonged to at her school: how comfortable they all were once, without any sets, till several grocers' daughters began to come in. 1847Tennyson Princess Prol. 8, I was there From college, visiting the son..with others of our set. 1855Thackeray Newcomes xlvi, Your intimacy was with Emma. It has cooled. Your sets are different. The Tomkins's are not quite &c. &c. 1890Besant Demoniac i, These men constituted the best set in the College... All were reading men, and all good men. 1906B. Vaughan Sins of Society (1908) 16 What a treacherous world was the Smart Set in which the Prodigal rioted. 1914[see Bloomsbury]. 1922M. Cowley in Dial LXXIII. 231 She [sc. K. Mansfield] has three backgrounds only: continental hotels, New Zealand upper-class society, and a certain artistic set in London. 1938H. Nicolson Diary 19 Sept. (1966) 361 We talk of..how terrible has been the influence of the Cliveden set. 1944N. Coward Middle East Diary 49 This place is the last refuge of the soi-disant ‘International Set’. 1960J. Betjeman Summoned by Bells ix. 107, I climbed,..Until I reached what seemed to me the peak—The leisured set in Canterbury Quad. 1977News of World 17 Apr. 5/5 The Prince of the Beatniks abdicated... He said goodbye to the Chelsea Set.
b. A meeting of a street gang or group of ‘street people’, esp. a party; the place where such a group meets. Also, the group itself. U.S. colloq.
Freq. in Black English.
1959Esquire Nov. 70 Set, a party. 1967Trans-Action Apr. 5/2 The more or less organized center of street life is the ‘set’—meaning both the peer group and the places where it hangs out. 1969R. L. Keiser Vice Lords iv. 40 A set had been planned... Throughout the prior week, the set was a constant topic of conversation. The clothes that were going to be worn and the girls that were going to be present were repeatedly discussed. 1970E. Bullins Theme is Blackness (1973) 178 What's happenin'? What'cha doin' tonight, baby? Why don't we make the set? 1972J. Mills Report to Commissioner 100 When junkies and pushers on a particular set learn or suspect an agent's identity, he has ‘taken a burn’. 1975Amer. Speech 1972 XLVII. 152 Blue eyes, you are not in my set.
4. The number of couples required to perform a country dance or square dance.
1766Goldsm. Vic. W. ix, We were in want of ladies to make up a set at country-dances. 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. ix. (Rtldg.) 362 The household of the governor and his lady formed a set. 1815Jane Austen Emma xxxviii, Emma was..delighted to see the respectable length of the set as it was forming. Ibid., Mr. Knightley leading Harriet to the set! 1837Dickens Pickw. ii, Quadrilles were being systematically got through by two or three sets of dancers. 1890Gunter Miss Nobody xviii. (1891) 209 She is at the side of the set, he at the head.
II. A number or collection of things.
5. a. A collection of instruments, tools, or machines customarily used together in a particular operation; a complete apparatus employed for some specific purpose.
For various specific applications, see quots.
[1561: see 6] .1611Cotgr. s.v. Ieu, Vn ieu de violles, a set, or chest of violls. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. ii. 53 You must have two or three Sorts and Sets of Steel Letters and Figures. 1683Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing 98 A whole Set of Punches of the same Body of Roman and Italica. 1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. i. s.v. Jeu, Un Jeu de Quilles [Boyer: neuf quilles pour jouer], a Set of Pins. 1691T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 70 They will..provide two setts of Rudder-Irons to each Ship. 1711Addison Spect. No. 108 ⁋4 A Set of Shuttlecocks. 1773Life N. Frowde 39 A complete Sett of Mathematical Instruments. 1825Gentl. Mag. XCV. i. 215 Five or six of these barbacues form a set close to the pulping-mill. 1842Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. V. 387/1 The ‘hanging sets’ or columns of pumps, with their ‘ground spears’ used in sinking the shafts. 1848Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IX. ii. 567 The bin-man, with his pickers, is placed to a certain number of hills, which is called a set. 1864A. Jeffrey Hist. Roxburghsh. IV. 117 A sett of machines, at this time [c 1818], consisted of a double scribbler,..a double carder,..a 36-spindled billy,..and four 48-spindled jennies. 1879Man. Artill. Exerc. 117 A set of scales, consisting of a front and rear scale. 1881Forgan Golfer's Handbk. 35 Set, a pack of clubs. 1884Mil. Engin. I. ii. 23 In laying out tools in rows the sets should be one pace apart. 1897R. F. Foster Compl. Hoyle 563 Matadore Game... Four dominoes in the set are trumps or Matadores.
b. = pump-set, pumpset s.v. pump n.1 6 b.
c1889W. Tate Princ. Mining xxi. 157 The lifting set delivers into a cistern from which the forcing set pumps the water to bank. 1950Water Power II. 219 The installation comprises two vertical sets consisting of motor and pump only. 1977Pump Costs (5th Techn. Conf. of Brit. Pump Manuf. Assoc.) 231 The circuits were modified to give a signal ‘pump unprimed’ but not to shut down the set.
c. A piece of electrical or electronic apparatus, as a telephone, a telegraph receiver or transmitter, a radio or television receiver, etc. Also, a radar transmitter and receiver. Cf. handset.
1891Man. Instruct. Army Telegr. Field Telegraphs Plate II (caption) Two single current sets. 1898Electrician 4 Mar. 625/2 A diminutive telephone set..is now being put on the market. 1903Science Siftings XXV. 49/1 The instruments of the portable military out⁓fits are similar to those of the permanent station sets. 1915A. Fage Aeroplane iv. 42 A wireless set driven by a motor-cycle engine is mounted in front of the passenger's seat. 1923Radio Broadcast Jan. 181/2 Drug stores, music stores, cigar stores, even men's furnishing stores have radio sets for sale. 1931B. Browne Talking Pictures vi. 146 Wherever one looked there seemed space and wide, flat walls. One of the larger-sized sets should have been required to fill such an amount of enclosing surfaces. 1936W. H. S. Smith Let. 13 Dec. in Young Man's Country (1977) ii 46, I dropped in on Stansbury..to hear his wireless which is a very good set. 1948J. L. Hornung Radar Primer v. 123 The electrical features of radar sets for use in airplanes are similar to those of sets used on ships. 1955Radio Times 22 Apr. 30/1 (Advt.), Here is a..table radiogram... Fine sets these Ferguson's. 1961L. Mumford City in Hist. xvi. 496 Reality has been progressively reduced to what filters through the screen of the television set. 1972Works Engineer June 12 (heading) Standby electric generator sets. 1974P. N. Wilson Water Turbines 17 (caption) Model of 83,000 HP Francis turbine hydro-electric set at Eildon Power Station, Australia. 1976M. Gilbert Night of Twelfth ix. 88 He used to have that old set going all day. You'll be just in time for the six o'clock news.
6.
†a. A number of musical instruments arranged to play together; a band; also set of music.
b. A suite of bells to be rung together.
c. A ‘pair’ of organs, of bagpipes: see pair n.1 6.
1561T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer ii. M iv b, The musike of a sette of Violes. 1660Englands Joy in Somers Tracts Ser. iv. II. 142 In many Places Sets of loud Musick. 1670Baxter Cure Church Div. 75 As a musical instrument in tune or a set of musick, delight the hearer by the pleasing harmony. 1679Lovell Pomey's Indic. Univ. 165 A set of Violins. 1771Smollett Humph. Cl. 18 July (1815) 263 A variety of tunes played upon a set of bells. 1795Diary in Antiquary (1896) Oct. 303 Doncaster... Fine set of organs. 1893Stevenson Catriona Concl. 368 We were guided up to the garret where he lay by the sound of Highland piping. It seemed he had just borrowed a set of them from Bohaldie to amuse his sickness. 1906Raven Bells 11 A treble in a village set of four or five.
†7. A ‘pair’ of beads. Obs.
1593Shakes. Rich. II, iii. iii. 147 Ile giue my Iewels for a sett of Beades. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 55 Vpon the Coffin lie a set of great Beades.
8. a. A collection of volumes by one author, dealing with one subject, belonging to one department of literature, or issued in a series.
1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. ii. i. 107 And this small packet of Greeke and Latine bookes..Take you the Lute, and you the set of bookes. c1615in Walcott William of Wykeham (1852) 166 Item, a sett of Ovids 0 5 4. 1712Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) III. 461, I want Setts also for several others. 1726Advt. in J. Ker Mem., Price 10 Guineas the small, 15 Guineas the large Paper in Sheets for the whole Set. 1778F. Burney Diary 25 July, My father told me it was a shame that I, the author, should not have even one set of my own work. 1815Scott Guy M. xx, Commentaries,..sets of the fathers, and sermons. 1873Aldrich Marj. Daw i. 10 A complete set of Balzac's works, twenty-seven volumes. 1911Publisher's List, Dickens' Works, 18 vols. Sold in Sets only, excepting the single vols. listed above.
b. A number of musical compositions forming a whole, as a church ‘service’.
1590T. Watson (title) The first sett, of Italian Madrigalls Englished. 1603Inv. in Gage Hengrave (1822) 24, vj bookes covered with pchement. contg vj setts in a book, with songs of iiij, v, vj, vij and viij partes. 1788in Grove's Dict. Mus. (1883) III. 476/2 A set of Quartetts. 1829Scott Anne of G. xxx, His Highness..composed an entire set of grotesque music for the Festival of Asses. 1883Stainer in Grove's Dict. Mus. III. 472 The Gloria has once more been included in the set... The Offertory sentences may perhaps be looked upon as a legitimate addition to the set.
c. A complete series of the parts of a periodical publication.
1701in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 302, I wish you would try..the Philosophical Transactions, our sett reaching not far, and being imperfect in the first Volumes. 1709Steele Tatler No. 31 ⁋8 They had never heard of the Tatler 'till I brought down a Set. 1830Carlyle Misc., Richter again (1840) II. 313 He perused the antiquated sets of Newspapers. 1834Macaulay in Trevelyan Life (1876) I. 354 All the Edinburgh Reviews are being bound, so that we shall have a complete set up to the forthcoming number.
d. A series of prints by the same engraver.
1768Boyer's Dict. Royal II. s.v., A whole set of Prints ingraved by John Audran. 1841Browning Bells & Pomegr., Pippa Passes 5/1 You brought those foreign prints... Nothing but saying His own set wants the proof-mark, roused him up. 1854Thackeray Newcomes xi, He could talk the Art-cant..and had a set of Morghens and Madonnas.
e. A definite number of copies of a bill of exchange or of lading: see quot. 1818.
1818Chitty Bills of Exchange (ed. 5) 81 The several parts of a foreign bill are called a set; each part contains a condition, that it shall be paid, provided the others remain unpaid. 1865H. Phillips Amer. Paper Curr. II. 91 Bills of exchange were directed to be prepared in setts of four. 1883Law Rep. 11 Q.B. Div. 333 The bill of lading had been drawn in a set of three copies.
f. A number of pieces of Jazz or popular music performed in sequence by a musician or group. Cf. sense 8 b.
1946B. Treadwell Big Bk. Swing 125/2 Set, group of musical selections. 1955S. Whitmore Solo ii. v. 159 Between sets at Fack's Jaeger found himself alone. 1967New Yorker 21 Jan. 52, I played two sets and Marsala asked me to join the band. 1977Sounds 1 Jan., We all write lyrics but they're too disgusting to be included in the set.
9. a. A number of things connected in temporal or spatial succession or by natural production or formation.
1604Shakes. Oth. ii. iii. 135 He'le watch the Horologe a double Set, lf Drinke rocke not his Cradle. 1674N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 74 The least bitling of it will so far club and fall in with the laws that bind the whole Set. 1681H. More Expos. Dan. App. ii. 278 The seven last plagues of the Vials supposing a Sett or Number of plagues antecedent. 1692Bentley Boyle Lect. v. 32 You do not cast any given Sett of Faces with four Cubical Dice. 1759R. Smith Harmonics ix. (ed. 2) 212 The Proper Set of Beats, which the said vths ought to make in the given organ. 1815Scott Guy M. xxxviii, A new set of words to the old tune of ‘Over the Water to Charlie’. 1841T. R. Jones Anim. Kingd. 574 An elaborate temporary set of muscles provided for the purpose. 1893Sir H. H. Howorth Glacial Nightmare I. 31 A set of low hills also intervene.
b. The complement of teeth (natural or artificial) with which a person (or animal) is furnished.
1678J. Brown Disc. Wounds 236 The Tongue being thus guarded with a Sett of Teeth. 1700T. Brown tr. Fresny's Amusem. 97 Other knaves..take as much for Drawing out an Old Tooth, as would buy a Sett of New ones. 1705Vanbrugh Confederacy i. i, I have worn out four pair of pattens with following my old lady Youthful, for one set of false teeth, and but three pots of paint. 1854Thackeray Newcomes xxiv, Her ladyship's teeth (a new and exceedingly handsome set). 1878L. P. Meredith Teeth 250 With mouths so unfavourable that it is impossible to adapt a set of teeth to them. 1886C. Scott Sheep-farming 15 Each set when complete consists of incisor, canine, and molar teeth.
†c. set of features: the lineaments of a person's face. Obs.
1713Addison Cato i. iv, 'Tis not a sett of features, or complexion..that I admire. 1779G. Keate Sketches fr. Nat. (ed. 2) I. 59 That air of sensibility..accompanied with a pleasing set of features. 1815Scott Guy M. ii, He had a tall, handsome figure, a good set of features.
d. A spell (of weather); = series 3 b. Obs. exc. dial. (but cf. set in, set v.1 146 e).
1633T. James Voy. 104 Wee must haue a set of faire weather, to passe the Straight. a1700Evelyn Diary 3 Sept. 1666, With a long set of faire and warme weather. 1880Antrim & Down Gloss. s.v., A long set of saft weather.
10. a. A number of things grouped together according to a system of classification or conceived as forming a whole.
1690Locke Hum. Und. ii. i. §4 Which Operations..do furnish the Understanding with another sett of Ideas. 1701Swift Contests Nobles & Comm. Wks. 1755 II. i. 50 He assumes..an entire sett of very different airs. 1730Malcolm New Syst. Arith. 509 Conceive two or more different Setts (or Systems) of Things, containing each the same, or a different number of Things. 1738Swift Pol. Conversat. Introd. 23 My old Friend did..invent a Set of Words and Phrases. 1742Young Nt. Th. viii. 387 Virtue has her peculiar set of pains. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) VII. 240 An exact plan..of Nature's operations in this minute set of creatures. 1802M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. xiv. 110 The set of notions which he had acquired from his education. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. vi. i, The Constitution, the set of Laws,..that men will live under. 1857Cayley Math. Papers (1890) III. 35 Let L denote a set of any four elements, a, b, c, d. 1897W. P. Ker Epic & Rom. ii. vi. 201 The poet is at this point free to make use of a new set of motives.
†b. Math. Used variously, as defined by the individual author. Obs.
1837W. R. Hamilton in Trans. R. Irish Acad. (Sci.) XVII. 422 The author hopes to publish hereafter..a Theory of Triplets and Sets of Moments. 1848― in Ibid. XXI. 201 When we have in any manner been led to form successively the separate conceptions of any number of moments of time, we may afterwards form the new conception of a system, or momental set, to which all these separate moments belong. 1886Phil. Trans. R. Soc. CLXXVII. 23 If the collection be such that whatever undistinguished components abcd{ddd}, pqrs{ddd}we select, and whatever other component lmno{ddd}we select, w, x, y, z{ddd}can always be selected from the collection, then the collection will be termed a set.
c. Math. and Logic. An assemblage of distinct entities, either individually specified or which satisfy certain specified conditions. Cf. element n. 5 d.
1857Phil. Trans. R. Soc. CXLVII. 717 Any values (x1, y1, z1,{ddd}) satisfying the equations, are said to constitute a set of roots of the system. 1897W. Burnside Theory of Groups i. 1 Let a1, a2,{ddd}, an be a set of n distinct letters. 1903Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. IV. 27 A set of elements in which a rule of combination ○ is so defined as to satisfy the following three postulates shall be called an Abelian group with respect to ○. 1937Jrnl. Symbolic Logic II. 66 According to the leading idea of the von Neumann set theory we have to deal with two kinds of individuals, which we may distinguish as sets and classes. The distinction may be thought of in this way, that a set is a multitude forming a proper thing, whereas a class is a predicate regarded only with respect to its extension. 1965Patterson & Rutherford Elem. Abstr. Algebra i. 3 If x is an element of a set S, we write x {elem} S. 1972A. G. Howson Handbk. Terms Algebra & Anal. ii. 8 A set is a totality of certain definite, distinguishable objects of our intuition or thought—called the elements of the set. This classic definition of a set was given by Georg Cantor in 1874. Such attempts to give elementary definitions of a set are, however, doomed to failure, their being in the main based on the use of undefined synonyms, such as ‘collection’, and leading to logical inconsistencies (see Russell paradox..). For this reason, mathematicians now regard the notion of a set as an undefined, primitive concept. 1975I. Stewart Concepts Mod. Math. iv. 47 There is only one empty set. All empty sets are equal.
d. transf. Used variously in Linguistics (see quots.).
1935W. F. Twaddell On Defining Phoneme 60 A modification occurs only in phonetic fractions corresponding to forms, the relations of which constitute relations of sets of micro-phonemes. 1942Bloch & Trager Outl. Linguistic Anal. iii. 45 A structural set is a group of all the phonemes which occur in a given phonetic environment and hence, in that position, directly contrast with each other. 1964M. A. K. Halliday et al. Linguistic Sci. ii. 22 The range of possibilities in a closed choice is called technically a system, that in an open choice a set... We often talk of ‘closed system’ and ‘open set’.
11. The complete collection of the ‘pieces’ composing a suite of furniture, a service of china, a clothing outfit, or the like.
1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 160 All these Pavillions are..lined within with sets of lovely Tapistry. 1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., A fine Set of Silver Plate. 1696Lond. Gaz. No. 3158/4 Fine Sets for Dressing Tables. 1697tr. C'tess D'Aunoy's Trav. (1706) 140 Neither is it enough to have one Sett of Jewels, as our Ladies in France have. 1727Boyer Dict. Royal II, A Set of Diamonds... A Set of Buttons. 1779Mirror No. 40 The fall of a set of Dresden. 1798in Nicolas Disp. (1846) VII. p. clx, I had every man..at work to alter some of her own sails, and some we got from the Serieuse to make up a set for her. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xxix, A set of Irish diamonds and cairngorms. 1859Habits of Gd. Society iv. 163 Her set of winter sables. 1867Latham Black & White 74 The door⁓keeper wears a set of shooting dittos.
12. a. A series of buildings or apartments associated in use; esp. a suite of apartments let as lodgings.
1722De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 136 He led me into a..set of warehouses. 1820Gentl. Mag. Jan. 79/1 A single room out of the sixteen sets composing that part of the Hall [i.e. Magdalen Hall]. 1833H. Martineau Brooke Farm iv. 53 His one set of farm buildings. 1840J. T. J. Hewlett P. Priggins xiv, The Dean's scout was summoned to..show me the rooms..that I might select any set I chose. 1841Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. ix, First we went into lodgings,—into three sets in three weeks. a1890Liddon Life Pusey (1893) I. iv. 89 At Lent term, 1826, Pusey went into rooms in Oriel College. The set he occupied [etc.].
b. Mining. In full set of timber(s: A frame for supporting the side of a level or shaft, or the roof of a gallery.
1830Eng. & For. Mining Gloss., Cornw. (1860) 22 Set of timber, a frame complete to support each side of the vein, level, or shaft. 1877Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 263 note, The ‘set of timbers’ may perhaps be fairly assumed to represent 50 cubic yards of material removed. Ibid. 276 Replacing the old timbers with new square sets.
13. a. A team of (usually six) horses.
1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. 1, Attelage, a Set of Horses for a Coach or Cart, or of Oxen for a Cart or plough, four of each. 1701W. Wotton Hist. Rome 402 He would give Sets of Chariot-Horses. 1748Richardson Clarissa (1768) V. 275 To wait upon my Beloved with a coach-and-four, or a Sett. c1789Gibbon Autob. (1896) 162 The favourite team, an handsome set of bays or greys. 1825T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Man of many Fr. I. 153 A set of horses for town.
b. A train of coal-trucks.
1863R. Scott Ventil. Mines 10 [The doors] are at a sufficient distance from each other, so as to admit the set to pass through the one before the other is required to be opened. 1871Daily News 17 Aug., When the sets had arrived at ‘meetings’, instead of passing each other, they ran on to the same line.
14. The series of movements or figures that make up a square dance or country dance, esp. the quadrille; the music adapted to this. first set: see quots. 1894, 1898. (Cf. set dance, s.v. set ppl. a. 8.) running set: see running ppl. a. 17 f.
1834Dickens Sk. Boz, Tales vii, He attached himself solely to Miss Julia Briggs, with whom he danced no less than three sets consecutively. 1849Cupples Green Hand iii. (1856) 29 They were soon swimming away in the first set. 1865Dickens Mut. Fr. i. xi, The discreet automaton [at the piano]..played a..tuneless set. 1894E. Scott Dancing 119 The Quadrille. (Generally known as the First Set.) 1898tr. Vuillier's Hist. Dancing 431 The ‘First Set’ came over from Paris,..and was introduced..as the ‘Parisian Quadrille’.
III. 15. Special Comb.: set theory, the branch of mathematics which deals with sets without regard to the nature of their individual constituents; an axiomatization which allows of the discussion of sets; set-theoretic, -theoretical adjs., of or pertaining to set theory; hence set-theoretically adv.
1964E. Mendelson Introd. Math. Logic p. vii, In the belief that beginners should be exposed to the most natural and easiest proofs, free-swinging set-theoretic methods have been used.
1957P. Suppes Introd. Logic xi. 232 A function is a set-theoretical, not a linguistic, entity.
1952S. C. Kleene Introd. Metamath. xiv. 424 B is a ‘theorem’ set-theoretically.
1936W. V. Quine in Jrnl. Symbolic Logic June 45 Set-theoretic Foundations for Logic... In his set theory Zermelo uses the variables ‘x’, ‘y’, etc. for the representation of ‘things’ generally. 1937Jrnl. Symbolic Logic II. 65 The system of axioms for set theory to be exhibited in this paper is a modification of the axiom system due to von Neumann. 1971Where Nov. 332/1 Many would probably ‘solve’ it by using set theory and drawing a Venn diagram. 1975N. Chomsky Logical Struct. Linguistic Theory iii. 107 We will assume..that each level includes a full set theory, so that we can also form sets of strings, sequences of strings, etc.
Add:[II.] [9.] e. Body-building. A fixed number of repetitions of a particular exercise, performed as a unit.
1956Muscle Power June 41/2 Which brings us up to his routine... The exercises, the weights, the sets and the repetitions will now be listed here. 1961Ibid. Nov. 27/1 Going in for high sets of high reps he soon trimmed that ‘smoothness’ away. 1985Bodypower June 5/1 Gladys began to grimace during the 8th rep but managed to perform two more for her first set.
f. A group of waves of similar height and force. Surfing slang.
1963Surfing Yearbk. 43/1 Set, a group of waves. 1977Fortune Aug. 75/2 Prone on his board, Hastings paddles out beyond the line of breakers, and then watches for a set of waves to roll in. 1986Wavelength Surfing II. ii. 68/2 The surf was a constant 2–3ft with the occasional 4–5ft set, and the scoring average for the six scoring waves was around 6.0–7.5 per heat.
▪ III. set, v.1|sɛt|
Forms: see below. Pa. tense and pple. set.
[Com. Teut.: OE. sęttan = OFris. setta (mod.Fris. sette), OS. settian (MDu., MLG. setten, Du. zetten), OHG. sezzan beside sazzan (MHG. sezzen, G. setzen), ON. setja (Sw. satta, Da. sætte), Goth. satjan; causal of *setjan (sitjan) to sit.
Confusion between set and sit arose as early as the beginning of the 14th c., owing partly to the identity or close similarity of the forms of their past tenses and pa. pples., and partly to the identity of meaning in some uses, as between to be set (= seated) and to sit; cf. sit v. (etym. note and A. 5 a α note). For cases of mere substitution of forms of sit for forms of set, see A. 1 γ, 2 ζ below. The spelling sett is still sometimes found in technical senses; cf. set n.1]
A. Inflexional Forms.
1. a. inf. and pres. stem. (α) 1 settan (Northumb. setta), 2–5 (6 arch.) setten, 3–6 sette (2 setton, seotte, 3 Orm. settenn, Lay. sætten, 4 Kent. zetten, 5 settyn, cettyn, satte, 6 seatt-), 4–9 sett, 7–9 s.w. dial. zet, 4– set.
c725Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) P 13 Pastinare, settan. a900Laws ælfred ii. v. (Liebermann) 50 We settað æᵹhwelcere cirican..ðis frið. c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xviii. 23 Seðe wil reht setta mið ðeᵹnum his. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) c. 3 Ne sette ic me fore eaᵹum yfele wisan. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 656, Þæt hi scoldon..seotte þa dæi hwonne [etc.]. c1200Ormin 3941 Soþ sahhtnesse settenn. c1205Lay. 17569 Heo wolden al þis lond sætten on hæore tweire hond. a1300Cursor M. 12416 To sett iesu to werld lar. a1340Hampole Psalter ii. 10 Settand vndire ȝoure fote ȝoure enmys. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. vi. 32 Boþe to sowen and to setten. c1380Sir Ferumb. 1872 Y set noȝt by þy sawes. c1400Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) ii. xlv. (1859) 51 Prowde men..that settyn att nought al other men. c1420Chron. Vilod. 1761 How lytull his martrus setton by worldelyche gode. 1499Promp. Parv. 67/2 Cettyn or putten. a1533Ld. Berners Huon iii. 5 Huon and gerarde who by theyr pryde settyth no thynge by me. 1538in Lett. Suppress. Monasteries (Camden) 199 Setteynge many on worke. 1552Bk. Com. Prayer Exhort. Morn. Pr., To sette foorth his moste worthye prayse. 1584Eltham Churchw. Acc. in Archæologia XXXIV. 63 For seatting fourthe of a soldger into Frawnce. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. iv. 14 Themselues to setten forth to straungers sight. 1605Lond. Prodigall v. i. 470 Che zet not a vig by a wife if a wife zet not a vig by me. 1613E. Wright Descr. & Use Sphære 61 Such starres as sett when the sunne riseth, are said to set cosmically. 1711in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 176, I sett again the quære, how can the Irish..be..deemed rebels? 1801Nelson Let. 28 Jan. in Quaritch's Catal. Oct. (1909) 28 To sett in a dark room. 1904Blackw. Mag. Feb. 193/2 Unless you have..seen him..‘sett’ the game he fetches.
(β) north. 3–4 seit(t, 4–5 sete. (Cf. 2 δ, 3 η.)
a1300Cursor M. 1177, I sal seit on þi mi merk. Ibid. 6060 To seitt him soru at his hert. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints l. (Katerine) 27 Quhar all þe folk..he mycht seit opynly and see. 1455Test. Ebor. (Surtees) II. 215, I sete vij marcs to a preste to syng a yere for me.
(γ) 4 sitt, syte, 5 sitte, 6–7 sit. (Cf. 2 ζ.)
13..Cursor M. 1580 (Gött.) Þe schame, þe sin,..To tell war lang to sitt aboute [Fairf. syte]. c1420Sir Amadace (Camden) xxxiv, Men sittus ryȝte noȝte him bye. 14..Sailing Directions (Hakl. Soc. 1889) 18 Be ware of your stremes of flode for they sitten north est on the Iron groundes. 1567Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 57 Sittand thair strenth thy word againe. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. i. iii. 145 Shall we sit about some Reuels? 1683Col. Rec. Pennsylv. I. 82 For sitting up of Bouyes in the River and Bay.
b. pres. ind. 2nd pers. sing. 1– settest, 4–5 settist, 5 -yst, 6–7 setst, settst; north. 1 settes, 1, 5–6 settis.
c825Vesp. Ps. xx. 4 Ðu settes heafde his beᵹ of stane deorwyrðum. c950Lindisf. Gosp. John xiii. 38 Saul ðin fore mec ðu settis [Rushw. setes]. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) lxxiii. 16 Þu dæᵹ settest. c1400Melayne 988 Thou settis more by a littill golde,..Þan to fighte one goddes foo. 1411in 26 Pol. Poems 43 Þou settest at nouȝt, y bouȝt so dere. c1460Wisdom 927 in Macro Plays 66 Why werkyst þou hys consell? by myn settis lyght? c1460Russell Bk. Nurture 69 in Babees Bk., When þow settyst a pipe abroche. 1535Coverdale Job vii. 17 What is man that thou..settest so moch by him? 1558T. Phaer æneid i. C j b, My son, that of the thonderblastes of hye Ioue settst but light. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 134 Shall I set at my hart, that thou settst at thy heele. 1611Bible Deut. xxiii. 20 In all that thou settest thine hand to. 1682Dryden Mac-Fl. 199 With whate'er gall thou settst thy self to write.
c. pres. ind. 3rd pers. sing. (α) 1–4 setteþ, (Anglian seteþ), 3 -eþþ, 4 zetteþ, 5–6 settyth, -ith, 5 -eth.
c825Vesp. Psalter ciii. 3 Se seteð wolcen upstiᵹe his. c975Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 51 Dæl his [he] seteþ mið liceterum. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) lxxxiv. 12 And on weᵹ setteð wise gangas. c1200Ormin 7821 Drihhtin setteþþ i þin þohht God dede to biginnenn. 1340Ayenb. 6 Huo þet ine þise þinges agelteþ zetteþ zuo moche hire herte..[etc.]. c1450Mirk's Festial 283 Ȝe settyth noght by no worldely worschyp. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utopia ii. (1895) 149 He settethe nothynge by yt. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1664) 169 Let Christ (as it setteth him well) have all the glory.
(β) 1–5 set(t, (2 sæt, 4 Kent. zet).
c888ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §4 Þæt hehste god, ðæt..hit eall set. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 963, Nan man buton se abbot ane, & þam þe he þærto sæt. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 179 Gief he him set a speche. 1340Ayenb. 7 Ine þe stede of þe sabat..zet holi cherche þane sonday to loky. c1400Rom. Rose 4925 Youthe sett man in all folye. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. xxxvi. 191 Man be-hettith woman loue when he Set the Ring on hir fynger.
(γ) 1 (Northumb.), 5 settes, 4 settus, 4–6 north. settis, -ys, (5 setis, sattys), 6– sets (setts).
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 51 Dal his [he] settes mið leᵹerum. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 182 Þe..king..þere-on settus his sel. a1400–50Wars Alex. 1221 Sampson on anothire side setis out belyue. 14..Erthe upon Erthe (1911) 32/4 How erthe vpon erthe sattys all at noght. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 579 He saies he settes here þat he fande. a1586Sidney Ps. ciii. ii, He setts thee free. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. iii. iv. 79 And consequently setts downe the manner how. 1607― Cor. iii. i. 270 Which he so sets at naught. 1807A. Young Agric. Essex II. 334 At this Michælmas (1805) he setts 2000.
d. imp. 1–5 sete (1 Northumb. sett), 3–6 sette, 4 zete, 4–6 sett, 4– set; pl. 1 settaþ, 3–4 setteþ, 4–5 settith, north. settis.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. ix. 18 On sett hond ofer hia [Rushw. ᵹesette]. 971Blickl. Hom. 87 Sete nu þin wuldres tacn in helle. c1000ælfric Hom. II. 542 Settað eornostlice on eowerum heortum þæt [etc.]. c1205Lay. 27216 Setteð heom after. Ibid. 3699 Þu..irum al þat lond and sete hit Cordoille an hond. 1340Ayenb. 254 Zete ane brydel to þine couaytises. 1374Chaucer Troylus iv. 622 But manly set þe world on sixe and seuene. 1375Barbour Bruce xi. 563 Beis nocht abasit..Bot settis speris ȝow befor. 1410in 26 Pol. Poems 37 Among seyntes þy soule sete. c1449Pecock Repr. ii. xviii. 257 Sette thou me bisidis thee. c1450Mirk's Festial 139 Castys don þes mawmetys..and settyþe þer a cros. 1482Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 27 Settith before vs the bred. 1535Coverdale Col. iii. 2 Set youre mynde on the thinges which are aboue.
2. pa. tense. (α) 1–6 sette (1–3 sætte, 3 seate), 3–5 sete, (4 zette), 4–7 sett, 4– set.
Beowulf 325 Setton sæmeþe side scyldas..wið þæs recedes wæl. c975Rushw. Gosp. John xx. 15 Sæᵹe hræðe me hwer ðu settes hine. c1000Guthlac 405 (Gr.) Guðlac sette hyht in heofonas. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1086, He sætte mycel deorfrið. c1160Hatton Gosp. Luke xix. 21 Þu nymst þæt þu ne settst. a1175Cott. Hom. 221 God him sette nama adam. a1300Cursor M. 4175 Siþen þai settam [= sett þam] dun and ete. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (Rolls) 2086 Gwyndolene a child had þan,..When tyme was, [she] set hit to boke. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 208 Wher-to, my modir, settist þou me on þi knees,..and rokkid me, and fed me? c1386Chaucer Prol. 507 He sette nat his benefice to hyre. 1558G. Cavendish Poems (1825) II. 14 Thou didest me avaunce, And settest me uppe in thys great pompe and pryde. 1579Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 65 The same proposition..which I sette downe before. c1610Women Saints 35 Some she sett out of prison. a1700Evelyn Diary 21 May 1685, The jeweller and goldsmith who sett them.
(β) 5–9 sat, sate.
Frequent in inferior writers of the second half of the 18th c., esp. in intr. senses.
c1420Master of Oxf. Catech. in Rel. Ant. I. 231 C[lerk] Who sat first vines? M[aister] Noe set the first vines. 1430–40Lydg. Bochas viii. xv. (1558) 10 Theodose..Smote of his heed, and sate [edd. 1494, 1554 set] it on the gate. a1547in Fosbrooke Econ. Mon. Life (1796) 84 She sate forward aft[er] masse. 1561T. Nuce tr. Seneca's Octavia (1581) iii. iii, That..rage..Sate them agog. 1677W. Hubbard Narrative II. 66 We sate Sayle. 1716B. Church Hist. Philip's War (1865) I. 119 The fore-most sat down his load and halted. 1742–3Observ. Methodists 19 The Lord sat his Banner over us. 1755J. Shebbeare Lydia (1769) II. 74 Like Yorick, he often sat the table on a roar. 1756W. Toldervy Hist. 2 Orphans I. 109 The coach being ready, the ladies..sate out for the hall. 1790C. M. Graham Lett. Educ. 318 The example which the king and his courtiers sat. 1808Helen St. Victor Ruins of Rigonda I. 186 He then sat before them some dried fruits. 1824Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 137 note, The Prince and Marquis..sate out with the names of Thomas and John Smith.
(γ) dial. 8–9 sot, s.w. zot.
1776T. Hutchinson Diary 5 June (1886) II. 67, I sot out from Falmouth this morning. 1803M. Charlton Wife & Mistress II. 51 Dolly informed her that she was to depart the next day..because, as the caravan sot off by five in the morning, they should not catch her travelling before day⁓light. 1840Spurdens Voc. E. Angl. s.v. Sot, I sot it down. 1857Kingsley Two Y. Ago III. 161 If ever he sot a foot here! 1886W. Somerset Word-bk. s.v., Zot his back up purty well.
(δ) north. [1 pl. seton], 4 seit, sete, 5, 8–9 seet(e.
[c950Lindisf. Gosp. Mark xv. 19 Seton cnewa.] a1300Cursor M. 2442 Þar he seit first his auter stan. 1375Barbour Bruce iii. 394 And certane tyme till him he sete [rime meite]. a1400–50Wars Alex. 4654 For many seerties we seet þat sysed all þe werde. c1746J. Collier (Tim Bobbin) View Lanc. Dial. vi. (1828) 68 Then they aw seete ogen meh.
(ε) 4 settede, 4–5 -ide, 5 -id, -yd, 5–6 -ed, 6 Sc. -it, 9 s.w. dial. zetted.
Frequent in Caxton.
1382Wyclif Isa. liii. 3 Wherfore ne wee setteden by hym. c1449Pecock Repr. v. ix. 530 Crist..settid the lawe of hise sacramentis to the seid lawe of kinde. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon ix. 245 Reynawde setted noughte by his lyffe. c1520Nisbet N.T. Matt. iv. 5 The feend..settit him on the pynacile of the tempile. 1582Bentley Mon. Matrones iii. 330 O heauenlie King, who..settedst me in the regall throne. 1888Berks. Gloss. 12, I zetted.
(ζ) 4 sitt. (Cf. 1 γ)
a1300Cursor M. 5058 And þan on bink he sitt him bi [other MSS. set, sete, sett].
3. pa. pple. (α) 1 ᵹeset(t, -sæt, 2–4 iset, (2–3 infl. isette, 3 Lay. isæt, hi(i)-sette, 4 ysett, Kent. y-, izet), 3–4 (6–7 arch.) yset, 4–5 ysett(e, isett(e, 5 i-sete.
c888ælfred Boeth. xi. §2 Þa ᵹesælða þe ᵹe oninnan iow habbað..ᵹeset. c1050Ags. Hom. (Assmann) 183 Hys flæsc wearð eall ᵹesett. c1175Lamb. Hom. 11 Þas daȝes beoð iset us to muchele helpe. a1225Ancr. R. 416 Þeos riche ancren þet..habbeð rentes i-sette. c1330Arth. & Merl. 9 Childer, þat ben to boke ysett. 1340Ayenb. 167 Erþan hi by yzet ope þet bord . a 1440 Sir Degrev. 1373 Swythe chayres was i-sete And quyschonis of vyolete. c1450Godstow Reg. 491/11 In tymys I-sette. 1483Caxton G. de la Tour Prol. 1 My seruice well ysette and quitte. 1596Spenser F.Q. iv. iii. 24 The stone therein yset. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. i. 387 With words in forme yset.
(β) 1–9 sett, 2–3 (infl.), 4–6 sette, (5 cette), 3– set, (9 s.w. dial. zet).
c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) cxliii. 14 Settum beamum. 1128O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.), Fulle feoht was sett betwenen ða Cristene & þa heðene. c1200Ormin Ded. 101 Wiþþ all swillc rime alls her iss sett. a1300Havelok 2612 Þe helmes heye on heued sette. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 189 She shal noght to any be sette Withoutyn leue of my maumette. c1340Nominale (Skeat) 850 Henne is set. a1400–50Wars Alex. 179 Sen it is sett to be soo. c1440Promp. Parv. 67/2 Cette, or putt. 1477Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 67, I haue not sette by golde ne siluer. 1607Stat. in Hist. Wakefield Gram. Sch. (1892) 59 All partialitie sett apart. 1719in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1886) II. 62 To be sett out so as not to prjudice the highway. 1746Exmoor Scolding (E.D.S.) l. 228 When tha art zet agog. 1757R. Robertson Let. in J. Russell Haigs (1881) 359 All your neighbours are sett to be upon you. c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 140 To make a sett near to another that cannot be sett on any more.
(γ) 1 Anglian ᵹeset(t)ed, -et, 5 settyt, 6 -it, 9 dial. zetted.
c825Vesp. Ps. ii. 6 Ic soðlice ᵹeseted ic eam cyning. c900Bæda's Hist. iii. xviii. §1 Þa wilnade he liif onhyrᵹan, þe he wel ᵹeseted ᵹeseah in Gallia rice. c950Lindisf. Gosp. Mark iv. 21 Ᵹesetted bið, ponatur. c1520Nisbet N.T. Luke xix. 21 Thou takis away that that thou has nocht settit. a1532G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 1055 The soule vegetable..is setted within the myght elemented. 1888Berks. Gloss. 12 Zetted.
(δ) 1 Northumb. ᵹesatted, 3 isat, 5 sat(t)e, 6–7 sat.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. John xx. 6 Ða linne hræᵹlo ᵹesattedo vel asetedo, linteamina posita. c1205Lay. 30229 Þe dæi wes isat. 14..Three Chron. (Camden) 77 Sir Baudwyns hede caryed to Excester and sate upon the castell yate. 14..Tundale's Vis. (Wagner) 2031 A crowne..satte aboute..Wyth precious stones. 1594R. Ashley tr. Loys le Roy 47 b, To be sat at their ease. a1695Wood Life an. 1683 (1772) II. 324 In the Pump below the Star Inn was a Tub sat.
(ε) dial. 9 a-sot, sot, zot (see Eng. Dial. Dict.).
1836Haliburton Clockm. xxi. (1839) 76 To get it sot to rights. 1888W. Somerset Word-bk. s.v. Set up, He's a quiet sort of a man like till he's a zot up.
(ζ) Chiefly north. 1 ᵹeseten, 5 settyn, 6 settin, 5, 9 setten.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Luke Pref. 9 Ᵹeseteno mið bisene, positaque similitudine. 1484Caxton Fables of æsop i. xvi, Of euery one I am setten aback. 1567Decl. Lordis just quarrell 91 in Satir. Poems Reform. l. 60 Quhen faceles fuillis sall not be settin by. 1887Jamieson's Sc. Dict. Suppl., Setten... This old part. form is still used by the common people. 1889N.W. Linc. Gloss., Setten up.
(η) north. 4 seeit, 4–5 seit, 5 seete, seyt, 5, 9 seet, 4–6 sete.
a1300Cursor M. 1166 Mi sin me has seit in vnsell. Ibid. 20179 Has he sete me ani dai? c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 74 Goddis curs is seit at nouȝt. Ibid. 174 Here herte is seeit to loue his muk. c1380― Sel. Wks. III. 451 Holy Chirche is seet in virtues and good lif. c1420Sir Amadas (Weber) 370 Full mykyll seyt by. c1449Pecock Repr. Prol. 3 Thei hem silf..ben despisid and ben not seet bi. 1488Registr. Aberdon. (Maitl. Club) I. 320 The said reuerend fadir..has seit and to male lattin..þe saidis landis. 1584Shuttleworth's Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 21 Payed for a horce showe wch was sete on in Chorlaye iijs.
B. Signification.
General arrangement of senses. I. To cause to sit, seat; to be seated, sit. II. To sink, descend. III. To put in a definite place (the manner of the action being implied either in the verb itself or in the context). IV. To place or cause to be in a position, condition, relation, or connexion. (This group embraces a large number of uses in which the precise implication of sense depends mainly on the kind of construction employed.) V. To appoint, prescribe, ordain, establish. VI. To arrange, fix, adjust. VII. To place mentally, suppose, estimate. VIII. To put or come into a settled position or condition. IX. To put in the way of following a course, cause to take a certain direction. X. Senses perhaps arising from reversal of construction or from ellipsis (their origin being often obscure). XI. With prepositions in specialized senses. XII. With adverbs in specialized senses. (Combinations formed on the verb-stem are given in a separate article, set-.) ☛ A phrase key is given at the end of the article. I. To cause to sit, seat; to be seated, sit.
The intransitive sense ‘to sit’ (5) was apparently developed out of the reflexive and passive uses of the original transitive sense of ‘to seat’. Set, being thus used synonymously with sit, became capable of taking its other senses and constructions (see 5 d, e, 6, 7).
1. a. trans. To place in a sitting posture; to cause to occupy a seat; to seat.
This sense is barely exemplified outside certain phraseological expressions, e.g. to set on a seat, a throne, on horseback, etc., in which the sense ‘cause to sit’ is now lost sight of. (Prov. to set a beggar on horseback: to give an undeserving person an advantage which he will misuse.)
c888K. ælfred Boeth. viii. §5 Þu settest us on þæt setl ðines sceoppendes. 1130O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.), Þa munecas..setten him on þes abbotes settle. c1205Lay. 14074 Þe king..sætte hine bi him seoluen. 1300–1400R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) App. xx. 446 To king he was iblessed..& iset in trone. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 198 Riȝt as sum man ȝeue me mete and sette me amydde þe flore. 1470–85Malory Arthur iii. ii. 101 The Bisshop of Caunterbury..sette the viij and xx knyghtes in her syeges. c1485in Rutland Papers (Camden) 19 The King..shalbe sett a gayn in his chair befor the high aulter. 1530Palsgr. 712/1 Come hyther, Kate, and I wyll set the on my lappe, and daunce the. Ibid. 713/1 In the stede of a good man we set a shrewe upon the benche. 1607Tourneur Rev. Trag. i. (1608) B 2, Dut. Nay set you a horse back once, Youle nere light off. Spu. Indeed I am a beggar. 1621Burton Anat. Mel. ii. iii. ii. 395 Set a beggar on horseback, and he will ride a gallop. 1660N. Ingelo Bentiv. & Ur. i. (1682) 158 Having set the two Ladies..upon two green Seats. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables lxx. 69 They..Set Boys upon the Back on't [a camel]. 1735Johnson Lobo's Abyssinia, Descr. xiv. 132 Who setting us upon Camels, conducted us to Mazna.
†b. To cause (a body of persons) to sit in deliberation. Obs. (Cf. 4 c.)
a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 675, Ða heot seo kining þone ærcebiscop Theodorus þæt he scolde setton ealle ᵹewitenemot æt þone stede þæt man cleopeð Heatfelde. 1375Barbour Bruce i. 591 The king a parlyament Gert set thareftir hastely. 1560Inchaffray Charters (S.H.S.) 167 With power to gar set and affirme courte or courtis.
c. To put (a hen) to sit on eggs.
c1440Pallad. on Husb. i. 575 What wommon connot sette an hen obrood And bringe her briddis forth? 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §146 Whan they waxe brodye, to sette them there as noo beastes..hurte them. 1530Palsgr. 710/2, I will set sixe hennes a brodyng agaynst this Marche. 1707Mortimer Husb. 191 The best Age to set a Hen for Chickens, is from two years old to five. 1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 709 It is not an unusual practice to set a hen at any time of the day. 1867Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. Ser. ii. III. 522, I never set less than three hens at one time.
d. To cause (a bird) to perch.
1530Palsgr. 710/2, I set a hauke on her perche, je perche... Go set my hauke on her perche. 1864Browning J. Lee's Wife iii. i, The swallow has set her six young on the rail.
†2. refl. To go down upon one's knees (aknee, a-knewling, on knee(s, etc.); = sit v. 19. Obs.
c1250Meid Maregrete lxvii, Malchus herde thes wordes, he sette him acne. a1300K. Horn 781 He sette him a knewelyng. c1300Havelok 1211 On knes ful fayre he hem setten. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 455 Doun I sette me on myn kne.
3. refl. To seat oneself, take a seat, sit down. (Most freq. to set oneself down: see 143 i, a.)
a1300K. Horn 1475 He sette him on þe benche His harpe for to clenche. c1374Chaucer Troylus iii. 608 After to þe souper alle and some..þey hym sette. c1400Destr. Troy 5092 Þerfore set you full sone. Ibid. 12214 He..set hym to ground. c1500Melusine 154 My doughter, sette you here by me. a1586Sidney Ps. ix. ii, Setting thy self, in throne which shined bright, Of judging right.
4. pass. To be seated. (See also set down i, b.)
c1330Arth. & Merl. 6516 Afterward her compeinie Was yset,..& next hem..Sat þe kniȝtes of þe rounde table. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 62 Þe men weren sette as it were fyve þousand. c1400Destr. Troy 1711 When þe souerayne was set in a sete rioll. c1410Sir Cleges 469 The kynge was sett in his parlor, Wyth myrth solas and onor. 1503in Lett. Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) I. 192 Next the..Saxon, the marques of Brandeburgh..bisshop of Laufenburgh were sett. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 156 It so fortuned that as thei were set, the Italian knockt at the Gate. 1697Dryden æneid vi. 821 The Queen of Furies by their sides is set. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §305 Most of the workmen were set round the fire. 1852Thackeray Esmond ii. xv, Most of the party were set to cards. 1875Freeman in W. R. W. Stephens Life (1882) II. 254 Soft chairs, in which, when one is once set, it is hard to get up again.
b. To be seated to partake of a meal (to meat, at or to dinner, etc.). Obs. or arch.
Partly a spec. use of prec., partly a true passive of sense 1.
13..K. Alis. 538 To the mete they weoren y-set. c1440Generydes 387 The Kyng was sette and serued in the hall. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 183 Quhen thay war seruit and set to the Suppar. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) I. 396 He..was set at the table to eate some meate. 1596Danett tr. Comines (1614) 118 After the K[ing] was set to dinner. 1625Massinger New Way iii. ii, I play the foole To stand here prating, and forget my dinner. Are they set Marrall? 1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) IV. 132 When they were again set to dinner, the page entered.
†c. To be seated for deliberation or judgement; (of a court) to be in session. Obs.
1390Gower Conf. I. 249 Whan the Court is set. c1400Pety Job 422 in 26 Pol. Poems 134 Thou shalt me call at domesday, When thow art set on iugement. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII (1550) 181 b, After that thei [the Legates] wer set..their Commission was redde. 1592Kyd Sp. Trag. iii. vi, Bring forth the Prisoner, for the Court is set. 1626B. Jonson Staple of N. iii. i. 41 Is the examiner set? a1700Evelyn Diary 26 May 1671, Being all set, our Patent was read.
d. Of a rabbit: To be resting.
1801[see form v.2]. 1817J. Mayer Sportsman's Direct. (ed. 2) 195 The stag is said to be harboured,..the hare formed, the rabbit set, the marten-cat treed.
5. a. intr. To sit, be seated. (Sometimes, as in 4 b, c, with spec. reference to partaking of a meal or sitting in judgement, etc.). Now U.S., dial. or vulgar. (See also set down, 143 i, c.)
c1205Lay. 22913 A bord swiðe hende þat þer maȝen setten [c 1275 sitte] to sixtene hundred & ma. c1275Ibid. 19704 Here vte setteþ [c 1205 sitteð] six men. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints Prol. 132 Quhene at he Suld sit in sege of maieste, Þai twelf sud set with hym-self. c1400Destr. Troy 5095 Þen set þai sone, as said hom the kyng. 1470–85Malory Arthur xiii. vii. 620 And soo after vpon that to souper, and euery knyȝt sette in his owne place. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xvi. 377 He made theim to set vpon a benche. 1530Palsgr. 713/2, I set hyest, or upper moste in a companye, je preside. 1596Nashe Saffron Walden K 1, Such men as..set on the pillory for..periurie. 1658Sir T. Browne Hydriot. iv. 23 They may set in the Orchestra, and noblest Seats of Heaven. 1662Gerbier Principles 30 The King and Queen only remaining..setting under the Cloath of State. 1680Otway Orphan iii. ii, As with his Guests he set in Mirth rais'd high. 1788Jefferson Writ. (1859) II. 385 It is very possible that the President and the new Congress may be setting at New York. 1825R. P. Ward Tremaine I. xxiii. 173 He had set upon tenter-hooks during the whole conversation. 1844Dickens Chimes i. 30 You must always go and be a settin on our steps must you! 1848Thackeray Van. Fair lv, I'm thinkin' if I set here until I'm paid my wages, I shall set a precious long time, Mrs. Raggles: and set I will, too. 1884C. H. Smith Bill Arp's Scrap Bk. vi. 74 Lawyers and doctors have to set about town. 1897Watts-Dunton Aylwin vii. ii, When you two was a-settin' by the pool, a-eatin' the breakfiss. 1913H. Kephart Our Southern Highlanders xiii. 298 ‘Come in and set.’ ‘Cain't stop long.’ 1938M. K. Rawlings Yearling i. 12 ‘If a feller'd light me a candle,’ she said, ‘I'd git shut o' the dishwashin' and mebbe have time to set and enjoy myself.’ 1974P. De Vries Glory of Hummingbird (1975) iii. 37 Lolly came almost every evening to set a spell.
b. Of a hen: To sit upon eggs.
1586[see abrood]. 1611Cotgr., Oeuvé, layed, or set on, as an egge. 1721R. Bradley Philos. Acc. Wks. Nat. 85 Stopping when they have laid as many as they can set upon. 1726― Country Gentl. Monthly Director 31 Chuse the old Hens to set upon the Eggs, for they will set close. 1840F. D. Bennett Whaling Voy. I. 371 The boobies..that were ‘setting hard’, as the schoolboys say,..screamed..on our approach.
c. To become lodged upon.
1869E. J. Reed Shipbuild. i. 16 Sand is the worst description of ground for a ship to set on as it forms a curved base. 1887Goode, etc. Fish. Industr. U.S. v. II. 540 The first thing found out was that the floating spawn would not attach itself to, or ‘set’ (in the vernacular of the shore) upon, anything which had not a clean surface.
d. transf. and fig. = sit v. B. 7, 8, 14. Now dial. or vulgar.
c1400Rule St. Benet (Verse) 317 Þam..Þat for godes sake here sett Vnder þe band of Sant Benett. 1482Cely Papers (Camden) 121 They off Gaunte hath sent to the Inglysch naschon and to Dutch naschon..commaundyng them to sett styll..and entermete wt noo party. 1536in Lett. Suppress. Monast. (Camden) 113 The emperor him selfe was glad to sett still. 1586T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. i. 484 That which setteth neerest hir husbands hart. 1592Kyd Sp. Trag. iii. vi, O monstrous times, where murders set so light. 1651Howell Venice 2 The Eastern Emperors have divers times set upon her skirts [see skirt n. 3]. 1674N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 34 Setting full as close to the very stamp or inmostness of a thinking Being, as [etc.]. 1803Forest of Hohenelbe iii. 103 A disappointment that ought not to set very heavily on her mind. 1892Harper's Mag. Dec. 22/1 The cat ate a rat, and it did not set well on her stomach.
e. To have a certain set or hang; to sit (well or ill, tightly or loosely, etc.). Cf. sit v. 16 b.
1804tr. La Marteliere's Three Gil Blas II. 95 Your new clothes, which do not by any means set so well upon you. 1861Temple Bar III. 250 To make the artificial hair curl and set naturally to the head. 1878G. H. Napheys Phys. Life Wom. 205 A body-case of strong linen..setting snugly to the form. 1883J. P. Quincy Figures of Past 129 His brown wig, which set low upon his forehead. 1887Lady V. 46 Sleeves lined with stiff or harsh linings never set well. 1892Field 2 July 30/1 Her sail did not set at all well.
6. a. trans. To become, befit, suit. Chiefly Sc. (in mod. use often ironical).
c1480Henryson Poems (S.T.S.) III. 103 Scho woir nevir grene nor gray That set hir half so weill. 1508Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 196 How it settis him so syde to sege of sic materis. c1560A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) iv. 41 It settis not madynis als To latt men lowis thair lace. 1606Rollock 1 Thess. 190 (Jam.) It is ouer sore to a Gentleman to doe that, it settes him not. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1664) 55 It sets him well howbeit he be young, to make Christ his garland. 1725Ramsay Gentle Sheph. iv. i, It sets him weel To yoke a plough where Patrick thought to till! 1814Scott Wav. xxx, It wad better set you to be nursing the gudeman's bairns than to be deaving us here. 1827Carlyle Germ. Rom. II. 241 How prettily the lace cap sets her. 1860G. J. Whyte-Melville Holmby House II. xxi. 301 It set him well now, a worn and broken man, to be taking thought of his looks like a girl. 1891Barrie Little Minister ii, Gavin,..do you think this bonnet sets me?
b. Also said of the person with regard to clothing, etc.
1892Longman's Mag. Nov. 59 Mysie..was a pretty creature, ‘setting’, in Scottish phrase, everything she wore.
7. To sit (a horse); = sit v. 22. rare.
1648Petit. Eastern Assoc. 11 It will try how the new Riders will set the saddle. 1710Steele Tatler No. 248 ⁋1 She set her horse with a very graceful air.
II. To sink, descend.
†8. intr. To subside, abate. Obs.
c1000Sax. Leechd. III. 86 Nim fyrs..& leᵹe uppa þat ᵹeswollene & hyt sceal sona settan. a1225Ancr. R. 274 Þe swell schal setten.
9. a. Of the sun or other luminary: To go down; to make an apparent descent towards and below the horizon. (Conjugated, like other intr. verbs of motion, with either be or have.)
Not in OE.: cf. ON. setjask.
c1300Havelok 2671 So þat þei nouth ne blinne, Til þat to sette bigan þe sunne. a1400–50Wars Alex. 3050 Als sone as þe son hup soght þe slaghter begynnys, And to sett was þe same sesytt þai neuer. c1440Alphabet of Tales 74 Þou sall dye or þe son sett. a1586Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 172 The Sun was readie to set. 1613Chapman Maske Inns Crt., The ruddy Sunne was seen ready to be set. 1625N. Carpenter Geog. Del. i. x. 220 With them all the stars equally set & rise. 1792A. Young Trav. France I. 18 The sun, on the point of being set. 1816Scott Bl. Dwarf vi, The sun setting red. 1822Mrs. Hemans Siege of Valencia i. (1823) 121 Till the last pale star had set. 1847C. Brontë J. Eyre v, The moon was set, and it was very dark. 1877C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iii. xxxiv. 360 The sun had long been set.
transf.1665Dryden Ind. Emp. i. ii. (1668) 6 Distant skies that in the Ocean set.
b. Of the day: To come to its close. poet.
1604Drayton Moyses ii. 48 Euery minute is a day and night That breakes and sets in twinkling of an eie. 1610B. Jonson Alch. ii. ii, The euening will set red, vpon you, sir. 1838S. Bellamy Betrayal 67 The third day Had set upon the sepulchre.
c. fig. To decline, wane.
1607Tourneur Rev. Trag. iv. I 4 b, May not we set as well as the Dukes sonne. 1611Second Maiden's Trag. 1302 And rise againe in health, to set in shame? a1627Middleton Chaste Maid v. ii, Your malice sets in death, does it not, sir? 1654Z. Coke Logick Pref., Having absolved your courses through Zodiac of praise worthy actions, you wil set laden with Lustre. 1812Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) II. xii. 396 She should have no twilight, but set in the full possession of her powers. 1890T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. fr. 1689, 282 The British Empire in India seemed setting in fire and blood. 1892Argosy June 496 The glory of Egypt seemed to have set.
†10. Naut. to heave and set: to rise and fall with a heavy sea. Obs.
1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxi. (1555) 99 Quadrant it was, and did heve and sette At every storme whan the wind was great. 1574W. Bourne Regiment for Sea vi. (1577) 26 The Sea..causeth the shippe to heaue, and sette little or much. 1630Winthrop New Eng. (1825) I. 9 This day the ship heaved and set more than before. 1674Petty Disc. bef. R. Soc. 60 If the said water be so rough, as that the Vessel heavs and sets.
III. To put (more or less permanently) in a definite place.
* Where the manner of the action is implied in the verb itself.
†11.
a. trans. To place on or as on a foundation; to build, erect; = set up, 154 n. Obs.
a900Cynewulf Crist 356 Þa þu ærest wære mid þone ecan frean sylf settende þas sidan ᵹesceaft. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 1881 Ongunnon..heora burh ræran & sele settan. c1250Gen. & Ex. 562 Ðat arche..set and limed a-ȝen ðe flood. a1300K. Horn 1395 Strong castel he let sette. a1300Cursor M. 20902 Quen he of antioche had fund Þe kirk, and graytli set on grund. c1330Arth. & Merl. 1238 For mi blod no worþ it þe bet, Neuer more þe bet yset. a1400–50Wars Alex. 1649 Godis awen temple, Þat of sir Salamon þe sage sett was & foundid. Ibid. 4305 And þat sullepe sire at sett all þe werde, In him we lely beleue & in na laȝe ellis. c1400Destr. Troy 1689 Qwhen this Citie was set & full sure made. 1470Little Red Bk. Bristol (1900) II. 133 A litill newe howse..is bild and sett vpon the Comyn grond in the hye strete iij fote.
fig.1474Caxton Chesse ii. v. (1883) 61 That oure lawe is sette alle vpon loue and charyte.
†b. pass. Of a figure: To rest (on a base). Obs.
1570Billingsley Euclid vi. Prop. xxvi. 173 b, If from a parallelogramme be taken away a parallelograme like vnto the whole and in like sorte set. 1660Barrow Euclid i. xxxviii, Triangles set upon equal bases.
12. a. To put (a shoot or young plant) into the ground to grow; to plant (a tree, also by extension, a vineyard, flowers, a crop). Also, less usually, to plant (seed) by hand, as opposed to sowing; sometimes said of the plant; formerly also, † to cause to grow from seed (of a kernel).
c725Corpus Gloss. P 13, Pastinare, settan. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 1558 Ða Noe..winᵹeard sette, seow sæda fela. a1225Ancr. R. 378 Ȝe beoð ȝunge impen iset in Godes orcharde. c1250Gen. & Ex. 1278 Abraham..tillede corn and sette treen. a1300Cursor M. 1015 Treis o frut þan es þarsett Þat serekin vertu has at ette. c1440Pallad. on Husb. i. 14 His appultreen, what hour Best is to sette. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §127 If the hedge be of .x. or .xii. yeres growing sythe it was first set. 1530Palsgr. 713/2, I have set rosemarye and sage ynough in my gardayne. 1538Elyot Dict., Sertor, he that soweth seedes or settethe herbes. 1572L. Mascall Planting & Graff. (1592) 36 Ye ought to transplant or set your trees from Alhallow-tide vnto March. 1602Kyd Sp. Trag. Add. 1999 This was the tree; I set it of a kiernnell. 1611Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 100 Ile not put The Dible in earth, to set one slip of them. 1612Hopton Concord. Yeares (1615) 112 The time [December] is good..to set beanes, pease, &c. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ iii. iii. §2 To order his trees, and set his flowers. 1767A. Young Farmer's Lett. to People 154 Those trees which are propagated by..setting shoots. 1820Keats Isabella lii, She..cover'd it with mould, and o'er it set Sweet Basil. 1830Examiner 796/1 The seed is to be set by hand. 1890Blackw. Mag. CXLVIII. 717/1 If a man sets potatoes in wet bog.
†b. absol. or intr.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. vi. 26 Ne settas vel sauues non serunt. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 912 For to sowe & to sette in þe sad erthe. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. vii. 6 Alle þat halpe hym to erie to sette or to sowe. a1586Montgomerie Misc. Poems xxxi. 17, I sau, I sett—no flour nor fruit I find. 1690R. Lucas Hum. Life 245 Idleness..never ploughs nor sows..it never plants nor sets.
c. transf. and fig.
a900Cynewulf Crist 663 And eac moniᵹfealde modes snyttru seow and sette ᵹeond sefan monna. a1310in Wright Lyric P. xviii. 57 Suete Jhesu,..In myn huerte thou sete a rote Of thi love. a1325Prose Psalter xliii. 3 Þyn honde desparplist þe folk, and þou settest hem. c1374Chaucer Boeth. ii. pr. v. (1868) 48 It is þan so þat ye men ne han no propre goode I-set in ȝow. c1425Cast. Persev. 1011 in Macro Plays, And þorwe Mankynde we settyn & sowe þe dedly synnys seuene. c1532G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 1055 The soule vegetable..is setted within the myght elemented. 1580Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 367 Faire women are set thicke, but they come vp thinne.
†d. As a literalism or contextually: To graft.
1388Wyclif Rom. xi. 24 For if thou art kit doun of the kyndeli wielde olyue tre, and aȝens kynd art set in to a good olyue tre, hou myche more thei that ben bi kynde, schulen be set in her olyue tre. 1645Ussher Div. 165 We see one tree may be set into another, and it groweth in the stock thereof, and becommeth one and the same tree.
†13. To put down, deposit (a pledge, security).
Cf. wedset v.
c1000Laws æthelred i. i. (Liebermann) 218 Ᵹif he þonne ful wurðe, æt þam forman cyrre..sette ᵹetreowe borᵹas, þæt he ælces yfeles ᵹeswice eft. 16..in Turreff Gleanings (1859) 29 The said day John Michel is ordaint to be put in kirk wolt, thairin to remain quhile he sett caution to adhear to Margratt Quhytt, his spous. a1670Spalding Troub. Chas. I (Bannatyne Club) I. 38 They with the marquess should sett caution, for keeping of the king's peace.
14. a. To put (a sum) down as a stake; to stake, wager. Also fig. Obs. or arch.
c1460Sir R. Ros La Belle Dame 524 He leseth his after game, That surely cannot sette his poyntes double. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xxxvi. 27 Ȝung airis, That his auld thrift settis on ane ess. 1599Minsheu Sp. Dict. Dial. 67, I set him two shillings, he cast and drew them. 1605Shakes. Lear i. iv. 136 Set lesse then thou throwest. 1668Dryden Even. Love iv. i, He is nettled, and sets me twenty: I win them too. 1726Art & Myst. Gaming 23 Whatever Sum you set me, I will do the same to you. 1817Shelley Rev. Islam x. xli. 4 His great Empire's worth Is set on Laon and Laone's head. 1853G. J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand ix, The stakes were ‘set’, the dice rattled [etc.].
b. absol. or intr. To put down a stake, lay money on (or at). Also fig. to give a challenge to. Obs. or arch.
Freq. with dat. of the person against whom the stake is laid. The dat. being interpreted as a direct obj., a personal pass. const. was evolved (see quot. 1823).
a1553Nice Wanton 212 Heer six come on seuen. They set them... Come on fiue. She casteth and they set. 1560Misogonus ii. iv. 171 Sett lustilye, my boykins... That was knavishlye throwne. 1575Gammer Gurton ii. ii. 23 Thou shalt set on the king. 1605Chapman All Fools v. i, Come, Dariotto, set me. 1609B. Jonson Sil. Wom. iv. iv, A very sharke, he set me i' the nicke t'other night at primero. 1610― Alch. i. ii, If I doe giue him a familiar, Giue you him all you play for; neuer set him: For he will haue it. 1667Dryden Maiden Q. Prol. ii. 54 Throw boldly, for he sets to all that write. 1716E. Parker Fielding's Acc. Comet 6 Happy the Man who Punts upon a Knave during the Month of January, or sets on 6 upon Twelfth Night. 1739Act 12 Geo. II, c. 28 §3 Every Person..who shall..set at, stake or punt at..Ace of Hearts [etc.]. 1807E. S. Barrett Rising Sun I. 132 Come, seven's the main—who'll set me? 1823Mirror I. 176/1 Observing that he was completely set, he stopped short,..saying, ‘I believe I am set, gentlemen!’ 1825Examiner 631/2 The King would at one time set higher than usual.
c. Dominoes. To play first.
1844W. J. Pell Treat. Game of Dominoes 22 The largest count that can be made..is 129. To effect this, the winning hand must set. 1897R. F. Foster Compl. Hoyle 561 The one whose turn it is to set lays down any domino he pleases.
15. a. To put (a thing, such as an ornament, fitting, piece of furniture, etc.) in a place allotted or adapted to receive it; (contextually) to fit, fix.
c1205Lay. 7832 Þa Bruttes..nomen longen ræftres..& setten heom i Temese flod. a1483Liber Niger in Househ. Ord. (1790) 29 A tortayes to sett his lyverey in the wynter nyghtes. 1531Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 26 The side borde in the haull with the tristillis sett in the ground. 1556in Shropsh. Par. Doc. (1903) 58 For ii Wode Candyllstyckes to set apon tapurs. 1575Gammer Gurton i. iv, Set me a candle, let me seeke. 1590Barwick Disc. Weapons 10 b, There be other peeces [viz. guns], to be set vpon Blockes. 1610Shuttleworth's Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 192 For Coventrie blue to sett lettres in the chaffe beddes. 1629Milton Hymn Nativ. xii, While the Creator Great His constellations set. 1632― L'Allegro 106 How the drudging Goblin swet, To ern his Cream-bowle duly set. 1673Dryden Assign. ii. iii. 20 Set the Ladder, and mount first. a1700Evelyn Diary 11 Apr. 1645, Setting the candles in little paper lanterns. 1729Desaguliers in Phil. Trans. XXXVI. 202 If the Pulley be set backwarder still. 1807Crabbe Par. Reg. iii. 622 The fire-side chair, still set, but vacant still. 1808Lady's Econ. Assist. 4 The sleeves must be set into the shirt rather full. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 86 When he considers if he shall set a bridle on a horse. 1891M. M. Dowie Girl in Karp. vii. 83 No chair is wiped and set for the visitor.
†b. To fit or attach (one thing) to another.
c1375Sc. Leg. Saints ii. (Paulus) 372 Þe hed to set þe body till. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon ix. 233, I shall set to your necke an halter. 1497Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 237 Workmanship in..settyng the Newe ledders vnto the seid Bellowes. 1595Shakes. John iv. ii. 174 Be Mercurie, set feathers to thy heels.
†c. To place in a certain sequence in a literary work, in writing or print. Obs.
1535Joye Apol. Tindale 19 Tindals vncharitable pistle set before hys newe Testament. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. Pref. 3, I have set before the beginnyng of every boke, the some or argument. 1679Dryden Pref. to Troilus & Cr. Ess. 1900 I. 204, I made..an order and connexion of all the scenes; removing them from the places where they were inartificially set.
d. To put (eggs) under a hen to be hatched.
1726R. Bradley Country Gentl. Monthly Director 31 You may now likewise set Duck-Eggs under Hens. 1815Sporting Mag. XLVI. 27 The saving of eggs..which you intend to set. 1826J. Wilson Noctes Ambr. (1855) I. 170 James, you shall have a dozen eggs to set.
16. pass. To have a certain position or arrangement by nature.
a1310in Wright Lyric P. ix. 35 Swannes swyre swythe wel y-sette. 1390Gower Conf. I. 98 Her yhen smale and depe set. 1657W. Coles Adam in Eden vii. 15 At the tops of the stalks come forth the flowers set at certain spaces one above another. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 209 His fine Teeth, well set. 1883M. E. Mann Parish of Hilby iii, Their heads were set on long and graceful necks.
** Where the manner of the action is implied in the adverbial extension.
(Many of the divisions under this heading do not indicate a difference of sense, but serve mainly to exhibit the great variety of usage.
The development of phraseological expressions has brought into existence many uses in which the original physical reference is obscured. Cf. IV.)
17. a. To put or place, cause to be, lie, rest, or stand, in a locality specified by an advb. expression. (See also branch XII with advs.)
Beowulf 1242 Setton him to heafdon hilderandas. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 312 [God] heo..under eorðan neoðan..sette siᵹelease, on þa sweartan helle. a1000ælfric Gen. ix. 13 Ic sette minne renboᵹan on wolcnum. c1200Ormin 11351 Þe deofell..brohhte himm o þe temmple, & sette himm heȝhe uppo þe rhof. a1225Leg. Kath. 1972 Her, amid heapes, wes þis meiden iset. a1300Cursor M. 21624 A wessel..Sett vnder þat licure to hint. c1300K. Horn 738 (Laud) He sette sadel on stede. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 179 Basilius awook and fonde..his armour i-sette þere as it was raþer. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xix. 87 Þai sett þis mawmet with grete wirschepe in a chariot. c1440Jacob's Well xlii. 260 As an erthyn pott..sett on þe fyir brestyth on-sundir. 1535Coverdale Jer. xlix. 38, I wil set my stole [1611 throne] in Elam. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. IV (1550) 32 b, He caused his crowne to be set on the pillowe at his beddes heade. 1548–9(Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Communion Rubr., Settyng both the breade and wyne vpon the Alter. 1588Shakes. Tit. A. v. iii. 179 Set him brest deepe in earth, and famish him. 1617Moryson Itin. iii. 82 They set this iuyce vpon the fier, continually stirring it. 1764E. Moxon Eng. Housew. (ed. 9) 155 Set it over the fire to melt. 1856Mrs. Browning Aur. Leigh i. 1057 They saw a light at a window now and then, They had not set there. 1867A. J. Wilson Vashti xxv, Two drops of blood had fallen on the tablecloth, and the girl instantly set her cup and saucer over them.
b. pass. To be situated, lie (in a certain locality); to be placed (at a certain height, interval, etc.).
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. v. 14 Ofer mor ᵹeseted, supra monte posita. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2 Engelond his a wel god lond..ech londe best Iset in þe on ende of þe worlde as al in þe west. a1300Cursor M. 527 Seuen maister sterns er sette in heuen. Ibid. 10005 Þe four torels on hei er sett. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 5 Þe citee Oxenford, i-sette bytwene þe tweie riveres of Tame and of Temse. c1440Pallad. on Husb. iii. 381 The graffes..With gemmes fele aboute on hem ysette. 1530Palsgr. 711/2 Rychemonte is very well set. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. vi. 4 b, A small fountaine beeing no higher set then the pauement. 1594West 1st Pt. Symbol. §60 d, The said W.M. set, lying, or being in W. 1650Baxter Saint's R. iii. i. §6. 275 Betwixt them and you will be a great gulf set. 1756F. Brooke Old Maid No. 28. 234 They are gone to their country seat set in Berkshire. 1868Morris Earthly Par., Man born to be King 118 Nor struggle in the net Wherein thine helpless feet are set.
18. a. To place (a thing) upon or in some kind of contact with some part of a person's body, esp. as a part of insignia. Obs. or arch.
971Blickl. Hom. 23 [Hie] wundan beaᵹ of þornum & him setton on heafod. a1225Leg. Kath. 1571, & te an toc ane guldene crune, & sette on hire heauet. a1366Chaucer Rom. Rose 846 His leefe a rosen chapelet Had made, and on his heed it set. 1390Gower Conf. I. 15 Upon the hond to were a Schoo And sette uppon the fot a Glove. c1450Mirk's Festial 17 Then anon com oure lady..and set a garlond on his hedde. 1525Sir J. Russell in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 298 If your Highnes woll, he woll sett the crowne of Fraunce on your hed. a1533Ld. Berners Huon xlvi. 152 He sette his horne to his mouthe and blewe it. 1575Gammer Gurton ii. iv. 44 Chil in, Diccon, a cleene aperne to take and set before me. 1720Mrs. Manley Secret Mem. (1736) IV. 213 It is they that occasioned the Crown having been set upon your Head.
†b. To put (a thing) in a person's hand. (Cf. 27.)
c1000Oaths iii. (Liebermann) 396 Swa hit me se sealde, ðe ic hit nu on hand sette. c1200Ormin 8181 Himm wass sett inn hiss rihht hannd An dere kineȝerrde. a1300Cursor M. 4472 Me-thought..i þis cupe in hand him sette. Ibid. 17629 Son in his hand he þe letter sett.
c. To put (something) in one's sight (or view), before one or one's eyes (or view), † to show, † to the sight, † to view.
to set before, orig. = to place so as to be seen by, acquired the meanings of to put before one for use, consideration, imitation, etc.
a1000ælfric Deut. xi. 26 Nu to dæᵹ ic sette beforan eow bletsunga and wiriᵹnissa [En propono in conspectu vestro]. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) lv. 7 Ic..sette on ðinre ᵹesyhðe sariᵹe tearas. 1382Wyclif Gen. xviii. 8 He toke butter, and mylk..and sette bifore hem. c1400Destr. Troy 436 With pelur and pall..set to þe sight. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. lxiv. 241 Whan a man syttyth atte mette, and dyuers maner mettis afor hym Is sette. 1535Coverdale Rev. iii. 8, I haue set before the an open doore. 1576Gascoigne Delicate Diet Wks. 1910 II. 464 They dyd Clarkly in figures, set before us sundry tales. 1671Milton Samson 1624 What was set before him Which without help of eye, might be assay'd,..he still perform'd All. 1697Dryden æneid vi. 971 To set before your sight your glorious race. 1725Broome Notes Pope's Odyss. x. 295 The description sets the figure [of Terror] full before our eyes. 1848Pusey Par. Serm. I. xix. (1873) 371 He cannot set them before him; he cannot see, believe, grasp them. 1888Burgon Lives 12 Gd. Men II. v. 2 His birth..and his parentage have been fully set before the public.
†d. To put (a person) in prison. Similarly to set in (on) the pillory (see pillory n.). Obs.
c1100O.E. Chron. (MS. D) an. 1036, Ða let he hine on hæft settan. a1300Cursor M. 23315 Þai sal be sett in þair prisun. a1533Ld. Berners Huon cxxviii. 468 My wyfe set in pryson. 1535Layton in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. II. 61 We have sett Dunce [sc. Duns Scotus] in Bocardo. a1547in J. R. Boyle Hedon (1875) App. 74 Then the maiore to sett theym in presone.
†e. With complementary advb. phr. expressing removal or issue from or out of a place. Obs.
c1450Brut 336/20 Þei sette out of þe Tour þe Archebishop of Caunturbury. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. Prol. 25 All this tyme settis na man his heid out of the hous. a1610Healey Epictetus (1636) 25 Is the dish set from thee? stay it not. 1667Churchw. Acc. Pittington, etc. (Surtees) 335 For setting the watter away from the church style, 2d. 1684Bunyan Pilgr. ii. 180 Now they..befooled themselves for setting a Foot out of doors in that Path.
f. to set on the sea, water, set afloat, etc.: to launch.
1559[see set afloat, 137 a]. 1568C. W[atson] Polybius 48 They were vndockte, and sette on the water. 1587[see afloat 1]. a1800Fair Janet i. in Child Ballads II. 105 Ye'll build to me a bonnie ship, And set her on the sea.
†g. To lay (siege) before a place. Obs.
1474Caxton Chesse iii. vi. 130 A prynce that setteth a siege to fore a castell. 1530Palsgr. 711/2 Whan the kynges good grace dyd set his siege byfore Tournaye.
h. To put (pen) to paper († book).
1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 1 As I had set the penne to the boke. c1530[see pen n.2 4]. 1579Hake Newes out of Powles Ep. Ded. (1872) A ij b, And so shall I..set my Pen to Booke againe. 1581B. Melbancke Philotimus Z j, Setting pen to paper. 1621T. Williamson tr. Goulart's Wise Vieillard A 4 b, My fingers did euen itch to set pen to paper. 1711Addison Spect. No. 62 ⁋7, I am apt to think that Euclid was the greatest Wit that ever set Pen to Paper. 1895C. Kernahan God & Ant Apol., The worst of all reasons which inexperienced writers put forward for setting pen to paper.
19. a. To place (a part of the body) upon a surface or an object.
c900tr. Bæda's Hist. ii. xii. §5 [He] sette his þa swiðran hond him on þæt heafod. 971Blickl. Hom. 239 He sette his hand ofer hiora heortan. a1000ælfric Gen. xxiv. 2 Sete þine hand under min þeoh. a1300K. Horn 758 To lond he him sette & fot on stirop sette. c1520Everyman 778 Now set eche of you on this rodde your honde. 1607Beaum. & Fl. Woman Hater i. iii, When her husband sets first foot in the bedde. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables xxx. 29 A Child of the Family happen'd to set his Foot upon't [sc. a snake]. 1749Smollett Gil Blas ii. iii. (1782) I. 136 Fabricius..set his hands in his sides. 1870Rossetti Dante at Verona xxxii, At such times, Dante, thou hast set Thy forehead to the painted pane Full oft. a1908F. Thompson Poppy i, Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare.
†b. to set (one's) hand(s on: to lay hands upon, seize; esp. to lay violent hands upon, attack. Also to set one's hand against, to oppose. Obs.
c1290Beket 931 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 133 Ȝif ani man hond on ov set. c1330Arth. & Merl. 5815 Hir hondes sche sett on hir here & hir fair tresses al totere. c1400Beryn 2290 Macaigne arose..And set hond fast on Beryns othir scleve. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iii. 79 Aymon..began to sette sore hande vpon theym. 1635E. Pagitt Christianogr. (1636) iii. 37 Our Princes and Bishops set their hand against Image-worship. c1641F. Hawkins Youth's Behav. (1663) 36 Without setting hand on any thing before him.
c. to set (one's) hand to: to lay hold of, take into one's hand; fig. to set about, engage upon († formerly const. inf.). to set one's hand to the door: see door n. 6.
c1477Caxton Jason 60 b, Argos sette hande unto the werk. 1542in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 2 Of your aboundaunt pitie to sette your helpyng hand to the bestowyng of me to suche condition. 156.Thersites (Roxb.) 47 They wyll not ones set hande to fight with me. 1638W. Tirwhyt tr. Balzac's Lett. II. 144 If you appoint him to set hand to his Penne. 1639Fuller Holy War i. ix. 13 God set his hand to this warre. 1662Evelyn Sculptura Table, Painters encouraged to set their hands to the graver. 1788Trifler No. 4. 47, I..resolved to set hand to work. 1865Swinburne Atalanta 1972 She set her hand to the wood, She took the fire in her hand. 1889F. Barrett Under Str. Mask I. iii. 46 He set his hand to this good work.
†d. To take (a step). Obs.
1593–1642 [see footing vbl. n. 1]. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 219 The first step that I set within those holy gates. 1767Gooch Treat. Wounds I. 212 He was not able to set a step. 1780A. Young Tour Irel. I. 241 Every step the horse set.
†20.
a. To plant or deal (a blow); with dat. of the person or upon. Obs.
c1300Havelok 2405 He robert sette Biforn þe teth a dint ful strong. 13..Guy Warw. (A.) 1382 So wele his strok he sett þat his heued fram þe bodi flei. c1400Arth. & Merl. 2422 And when they were together mett, There were strokes sadlye set. c1430Syr Tryam. 1498 They settyd strokes of mode. c1500Lancelot 3175 Nor he so hard his strok apone hyme set.
†b. transf. To strike (a person). Obs.
13..K. Horn (Harl.) 714 Wel sone bote þou flette myd suert yshal þe sette. c1400Beryn 577 He..set hym with þe ladill on the grustill on þe nose.
†c. To direct, aim (trans. and intr.). Obs.
a1300K. Horn 1201 To herte knif heo sette. 1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 292 Theseus was the firste..that sette and cowched his speer ayenst hym. 16..Sir Andrew Barton xxxi, A noble gunner..That can sett well with his eye.
d. To apply (a weapon, etc.) to.
to set spurs to: see spur n.
1388Wyclif Luke iii. 9 An axe is sett to the roote of the tree. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. ii. 165 We set the Axe to thy vsurping Roote.
21. a. (orig. † to set on write.) To put down in writing; to put on paper; † occas. to depict. Now set down (see 143 e).
a900Laws ælfred i. xlix. (Liebermann) 46 Ic ne dorste ᵹeðristlæcan þara minra awuht fela on ᵹewrit settan. a900Cynewulf Elene 654 (Gr.), & þa winterᵹerim on ᵹewritu setton. c1175Lamb. Hom. 75 Þet rihte ileue setten þe twelue apostles on write.
c1450Myrr. our Ladye i. vi. 20 That he shulde se that they were sett in trew and conuenyente termes. 1486Bk. St. Albans, Her. b iv, Y⊇ token of a beest..set with in the cootarmure. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus i. i. Metres E ij b, I..haue soo often as any greke word was to be englished, set ouer him..græca uox. 1613J. Tapp Pathw. Knowl. 38 Therefore I take but 8, which I set in the quotient. 1621in Kempe Losely MSS. (1836) 460 Theyr armes in y⊇ window, genealogically sett. 1686W. Hopkins Ratramnus Dissert. iii. 38, I conceive it will not be unacceptable to the Reader to see them set in parallel. 1810P. Barlow in Nicholson's Jrnl. XXV. 187 Set the inches, parts, &c. as decimals.
b. Geom., etc. To lay or mark off (a line of a definite length). (Cf. set off, 147 d.)
1617Speidell Geom. Extract. 21 From the end A, drawe the line AE,..then set the line C, from A, to F. 1660Barrow Euclid vi. iv, Set the side BC in a direct line to the side CE. 1725W. Halfpenny Sound Building 42 Take lm in your Compasses and set it from D to the Dot in the Line DE. 1805Shipwright's Vade-M. 171 Next proceed to set aft the distance of dead-flat from the foremost perpendicular. 1830Hedderwick Mar. Archit. 247 On this line set the half-thickness of the stem from the centre-line.
22. To put down in a record, catalogue, etc.; to mention or treat of in a writing or composition; to put down or enter in an account. Now set down.
c1200Ormin 3282 He badd settenn upp o writt All mannkinn. a1310in Wright Lyric P. viii. 31 Of levedis love that y ha let,..Ofte in song y have hem set. c1386Chaucer Wife's Prol. 209 Why sholde men elles in hir bookes sette That a man shal yelde to his wyf hyr dette? 1390Gower Conf. I. 12 Whan Crist him self hath bode pes And set it in his testament. 1474Caxton Chesse iv. vii. 182 Wherfore he setted not the versis of homere in his book. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus i. i. D iij, Sette in a byll, what thy chyldes parte commeth to. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. iv. iii. 98 All his faults obseru'd, Set in a Note-booke. 1745P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 105, I know it was set in the Ship's Log Book by Order.
23. To put (one's signature), affix (a seal) to († on) a document. (Cf. set to, 152 b.)
13..Cursor M. 6889 (Gött.), He..wrat þe name and set [v.rr. sett to, sette on] þe sele. 1405Rolls of Parlt. III. 605/2 In Witnessing of whilk thyng, to thys presentes we have sette our forsaide Seal. 1524in J. H. Glover Kingsthorpiana (1883) 66 We have hereunto set the comon seal of Kyngesthorp. 1567Harman Caveat xv. (1869) 60 One should make writinges and set seales for lycences and pasporte. 1600Weakest goeth to Wall I 3 b, Here is your hand set to confirme the deed. 1616R. C. Times' Whistle v. 2029 Hee'l make the landlord set both hand & seale To this new lease. 1626Massinger Rom. Actor iv. i, Have you set your hands To the accusation? a1700Evelyn Diary 3 Dec. 1699, For setting the Greate Seale to the pardon of an arch pirate. 1736Gentl. Mag. VI. 473/1 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal. 1892Temple Bar Nov. 358 He set his hand to the death-warrant.
fig.1611Second Maiden's Trag. 310 Force grace into that cheeke wher impudence setts her seale. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1664) 342 Lend Christ your heart: Set him as a seal there.
IV. To place or cause to be in a certain position (other than merely local), condition, relation, or connexion.
* Where a person or thing is placed in or brought into a condition.
24. a. To place in a state or sphere specified by an adverbial expression.
Now less freq. than place or put.
c1200Ormin 10728 Ȝho doþ þe to settenn þe Bineþenn þine lahȝhre. a1225Leg. Kath. 1758 Ȝef ȝe beoð mine, as under me isette. a1300Cursor M. 11408 Quen ani deid o þat dozein, His sun for him was sett again. Ibid. 23552 If it sett þam into will to mak anoiþer erth or heuen. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. vi. 48 Þat he worth worthier sette and with more blisse. c1400Destr. Troy 223 Hit wold sothely me set as souerayne in Joye. Ibid. 1728 Þat ben set vnder seruage. c1400Rom. Rose 4957 Celde gan..sette men by her ordinaunce In good Reule and in gouernaunce. 1530Palsgr. 714/2 And I be set ones in auctorite. 1566Drant Hor., Jer. K viij b, Preists haue set God, in this chafinge moode. 1567Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 159 Quhen Sathan was lousit out of hell, And had set man in my place. 1632Bp. Hall Hard Texts Matt. v. 13 This holy calling, wherein yee are set. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. ix. §1. 253 Everything remains in the course and order wherein it was set at the Creation. 1711Addison Spect. No. 255 ⁋4 Providence for the most part sets us upon a Level. 1831Scott Cast. Dang. ix, My age sets me beyond your cruelty. 1846Trench Huls. Lect. Ser. ii. viii. (1880) 245 He must be set in those conditions, where to abide by this good shall bring upon him every outward calamity. 1847H. Miller First Impr. Eng. vi. (1857) 92 It had to be set under a keeper, to insure better behaviour.
†b. With complementary advb. phr. expressing removal from a condition or position. Obs.
(Now commonly expressed by put.)
c1050O.E. Chron. (MS. C) an. 1043, & raðe þæs man sette Stigant of his bisceoprice. 13..Cursor M. 8639 (Gött.) Þe dede childe..es þin, þat þi-selue of lijf has sett [Fairf. atte þou fra life to dede has sette]. 1390Gower Conf. III. 1 This vice, which so out of rule Hath sette ous alle. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccccv. 285 b, His mynde was so sore therof, that no man coude set hym therfro. 1530Palsgr. 715/1, I feare me he hath set my fote out of joynte. Ibid. 715/2 Who hath set my bookes out of order on this facyon? 1548[see beside prep. 4 c]. 1559in Strype Ann. Ref. I. App. x. 31 Note th' end of these men's doctryns, that is to sett us withowt God. 1596[see by prep. 16 c]. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, v. i. 88 This present enterprize set off his head. 1606G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine xxxi. 105 It was a far easier labor to depose them of Rome then to set them beside their Empire. 1693Locke Educ. §55 Wks. 1714 III. 18 This..spoils his Mind, and sets that farther out of order. 1756in Coltness Collect. (Maitl. Club) 209 They wanted to have a haggas, but John said we must set our hearts bye that.
25. a. In a large number of phraseological expressions (often equivalent to a single verb), in which set acquires the sense of: To cause to be or become (so-and-so). Cf. put v. 25, 26.
to set at ease, set at rest, set to rest, † set in or at peace; to set † at debate, † set at difference, † set at a jar, † set at jars, set at odds, set at one, set at variance, † set at square, set at war, set by the ears, † set in sunder; to set agog, † set at gaze, set astray; to set aglow, set afire, set on fire, set aflame, set in flame(s, etc.; to set in array, set in order, set in readiness, set to rights; to set † in effray, † set on fear; to set at large, set at leisure, set at liberty; to set on edge; to set in or on a roar; to set in action, motion, operation; to set at bay, set at fault, † set in press, † set in stay; to set at contempt, set at defiance; etc.: see also the ns. and advs. Also, to set afoot or set on foot (see afoot 3, foot n. 32 c).
a1000Cædmon's Gen. 2728 Ne þearf ðe on edwit Abraham settan. a1000Sal. & Sat. 344 (Gr.), Hine god seteð ðurh ᵹeearnunga endᵹum to ræste. 1297[see afire 1]. 1375Barbour Bruce x. 257 Settand in pes all the cuntre. Ibid. xvi. 427 The Ynglis rout in gret effray War set. c1407Lydg. Reson & Sens. 2188 Sette thyn herte best at ese. 1473Paston Lett. III. 102, I trust to God thatt the ij Dukes of Clarans and Glowcester shall be sette att one. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxv. iii, Whan that God set them [the planettes] in operacyon. 1513Douglas æneis viii. iv. 142 That on this wise had Cacus set in pres [L. telis premit]. 1530Palsgr. 715/2 Set your herte at rest. c1530Crt. of Love (MS.) 418 And lovers true to setten at debate. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 35 He set that Countrie in good rest and peace. 1575Gascoigne Glasse of Govt. iv. i, I have..set al thinges in redynesse for my Sonnes departure. 1578Paradise Dainty Devises, Sturdy Rock 8 The stately stagge..By yalping hounds at bay is set. 1595Shakes. John iii. iii. 9 Imprisoned angells Set at libertie. 1615R. Cocks Jrnl. 30 July (1883) I. 28 An other matter is now set on foote, which I never did heare of till this instant. 1632Lithgow Trav. ii. 48 An vnresolued man..is distracted here, set on feare there. 1638[see afoot 3]. 1668Pepys Diary 8 Nov., At my chamber all the morning, setting my papers to rights. 1736T. Lediard Life Marlborough III. 364 A Treaty of Peace was again set on foot. a1774Goldsm. Hist. Greece I. 111 The Athenians..sat many of their ships on fire. 1805–6Cary Dante, Inf. xxviii. 132 Father and son I set at mutual war. 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. x. (Rtldg.) 371 Which set my lungs as well as appetite in motion. 1829Scott Anne of G. III. ix. 263 He..has in a right godly manner tried to set afoot a treaty of peace with my own father. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. vi. ii, They have quite another feat to do: a paralytic National Executive to set in action. 1854H. Miller Sch. & Schm. (1858) 284 A peculiarity which had set at fault..the modern ship-carpenter. 1867A. J. Wilson Vashti xxiii, At last she was set once more adrift in the world. 1879Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxxi. 316 His followers set themselves in battle array. 1890Sunday Mag. Aug. 531/2 Enquiries were at once set on foot. 1895Cornh. Mag. Mar. 298 That day's incident set the whole neighbourhood agog.
b. With complementary adj.; chiefly to set free, set loose, set right: see also the adjs.
1530Palsgr. 713/2 As for your costes, take no thought for, I wyll set you fre. c1570W. Wager The Longer thou livest 1558 (Brandl), Let me helpe you to set your gowne right. 1607Shakes. Timon iii. iii. 31, I cannot thinke, but in the end, the Villanies of man will set him cleere. a1639W. Whately Prototypes ii. xxiv. (1640) 8 She is a bad and unloving wife,..who sets him short, and cares not to fit him with pleasing food. 1693Locke Educ. §89 Wks. 1714 III. 35 His Practice must by no means cross his Precepts, unless he intend to set him wrong. 1780Mirror No. 92 Who make people laugh, or set them asleep. 1799Kirwan Geol. Ess. 19 An immense quantity of inflammable air set loose. 1854Thackeray Newcomes iii, Orme's Hindostan, the book..which set dear Tom wild to go to India. 1855Browning Fra Lippo 45 Let's sit and set things straight now. 1890T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. from 1689, 155 The death of the old king set them free from their last scruple.
†26.
a. To place (a person) in a certain sphere of activity or occupation; esp. to set to lore, set to book, set to school; also, to place with an instructor or employer. Obs. (Cf. 114.)
a1225Leg. Kath. 115 Hire feder hefde iset hire earliche to lare. c1290Beket 210 in S. Eng. Leg. 112 Þis child was ȝong to schole i-set. c1330Arth. & Merl. 9 Childer, þat ben to boke ysett. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 454 We ben lered..lore of no scole, Ne to no sience i-set vs silue to wisse. 1486–93Early Chanc. Proc. 94/14 (P.R.O.), Your said oratour (when newly set to Courte in Davys Inne). 1513Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 491 He set her for doctryne to the abbesse Saynt Hylde. 1538Starkey England i. ii. 43 Settyng themselfe in relygyouse housys, ther quyetly to serue God. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VII (1550) 49 b, The sayde Barlo set me with a merchaunt of Middelboroughe too seruice. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 261 Set him betimes to school.
†b. to set above, set aloft, set high, or set on high: to exalt. to set nether: to bring low. Obs.
c1205Lay. 4049 Feowere here weren riche Þe haueden ferden muchele Þeo nedden al þæ oðere & heom nedðer sætten. 1390Gower Conf. I. 7 Tho was the vertu sett above And vice was put under fote. c1430Hymns Virgin 37 Wrong is an hiȝ seete þere riȝt schulde be. c1470Henry Wallace vi. 58 Feyll sys or than he had beyne set abuff. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxiii. xxv, Verite on the first fane Did sette aloft of falshoed the hede. 1530Palsgr. 711/1, I set a lofte, as a man is whan one dothe promote him. 1596Norden Progr. Pietie (Parker Soc.) 28 That God that can give and take away, set aloft and pull down. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. 244 Fortune..hath set no man so high, but she threatneth to take from him as much. c1675Waller Epitaph Col. Cavendish 25 Equal success had set these champions high.
†c. To put (singers) at the proper pitch. Obs.
1506in Legg Clerk's bk. (1903) 76 The said clarkis..whanne ony seruyce shalbe don by note shall sett the quyer not after his owne brest. 1530Palsgr. 714/1 Can you nat set these syngyng men in tune yet?
d. orig. to set upon the muzzle: To muzzle (a horse) so as to prevent him feeding improperly.
1834Medwin Angler in Wales II. 115 My training groom had his orders and yet I was afraid Idris would not be set upon muzzle, and so get improperly filled. 1856‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rural Sports ii. i. vi. §7 Some [horses] requiring to be set over night after having eaten their hay. 1856H. H. Dixon Post & Paddock (1862) 143 They set them [the horses] very sharp.
27. To place (a person or thing) in one's possession or control, or in a condition to be used, dealt with, or occupied.
to set in hand: † (a) to place in (a person's) possession or control; † (b) to take in hand, undertake; also intr. with with, in the same sense; (c) to put out to be done. to set to (for, on) sale, a-sale: see sale n.2 2 a, c. † to set at pawn, set to pledge, set to wed: to pledge, pawn.
c1205Lay. 12348 Cheorles..hefden al þis kine-lond iset a cheorlene hond. Ibid. 25171 Mi lond ich wulle sette to wedde for seoluere. 1388Wyclif Ecclus. x. 10 For whi this man hath also his soule set to sale. c1420Sir Amadace (Camden) xxxiii, That he had sette, and layd to wedde. c1500Robin Hood liv, My londes beth sette to wedde..To a ryche abbot. 1535Coverdale 2 Esdras v. 3 Let vs set our londes..to pledge. 1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John vii. 6–10 He left them and set in hand to preache. Ibid. x. 19–24 New matter to set in hand and dispute wt him again. 1553,1577[see a-sale]. 1600W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 349 Neither done, nor set in hand withall. 1601Hakluyt tr. Galvano's Discov. 77 He set in hand sending foorth two ships. 1750Johnson Rambler No. 28 §7 A man who has..set his country to sale. 1812Crabbe Tales xix. 256 Concerns it you what books I set for sale? 1864Builder 16 Apr. 281/3 The proposed restoration of St. Bartholomew's, Smithfield, is to be set in hand forthwith.
28. a. To cause (a thing) to assume a certain physical position expressed by a complementary adj. or advb. phr.; chiefly to set open († wide), set on end, set upright (see also these words).
a1300Cursor M. 3804 He it sett vp right. a1300[see end n. 17 d]. a1400–50Wars Alex. 2142 Werpis þam vp..& wyde open settis. 1549–62[see ope a.]. 1615Murrell New Bk. Cookerie 32 To make Pancakes so crispe that you may set them vpright. 1678Phillips (ed. 4), To set taught the Shrouds, in the Navigators Dialect, is to make them stiffer when they are too slack. 1715Leoni Palladio's Archit. (1742) I. 101 Seeing that the..legions were so close and crouded, he commanded them to set themselves more at large. 1724Calamy Life Howe 11 Setting the Top on the piqued end downwards. 1775Johnson Jrnl. 23 Oct. in Boswell, The plate..is..then set sloping to drop the superfluous mercury. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. iv. viii, With door set ajar. 1896Pall Mall Mag. May 7 An ill-tempered frown, that set her beauty askew.
b. To cause to take a certain shape (defined by an adj. or advb. phr.).
1677Moxon Mech. Exerc. i. 12 Turn the other side of your work, and with your Hammer set it flat and straight. 1842Penny Cycl. XXIII. 432/2 The sword is then set to the required shape by placing it on a sort of fork upon the anvil, and wrenching it by means of tongs.
29. To place (a person, his body or limbs) in a certain posture. Also refl.
to set on one's feet, legs: see foot n. 27, leg n. 2 c.
c1400Beryn 1838 The hoost..set his hond in kenebowe. 1565J. Phillip Patient Grissell 53, I was set on my legges and reyzed vpright. 1662Hopkins Funeral Serm. A. Grevil (1663) 27 What are they..but..Nothings set a strutt? 1665Hooke Microgr. 200 Standing still, and setting itself on its hinder leggs. 1750Johnson Rambler No. 116 ⁋10 When a man can set his hands to his sides, and say he is worth forty thousand pounds every day of the year. 1835H. Harewood Dict. Sports s.v. Cock-fighting, When brought beak to beak, and set on their legs. 1837Lockhart Scott I. ii. 82 Unless the old man would set him astride on his shoulder. 1859Habits of Gd. Society vii. 250 In standing, the legs ought to be straight, or one of them bent a little, but not set wide apart.
** Where something is assigned, applied, allotted, apportioned, etc.
†30. To give, bestow, assign (a name). Const. dat. or equivalent with to, upon. Obs.
c1000ælfric Hom. I. 12 God him sette naman Adam. c1200Ormin 722 Whatt name he shollde settenn Uppo þatt illke child. a1635Sibbes Confer. Christ & Mary (1656) 79 God setteth a stile upon us suitable to the excellency of our spirituall being.
†31. To apply or allot (money) to, spend (a sum) on a certain object; to expend, invest. Obs.
1154O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1137, [He] wrohte on þe circe & sette þar to landes & rentes. c1400Beryn 2244 Wele settith he his peny, þat þe pound..savith. 1455[see A. 1 β]. 1475Bk. Noblesse (Roxb.) 81 Late it be set in money to the remedie and socoure of this gret importunyte and necessite. 1485Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 7 All somes of money sett upon hym for the same [office]. 1507Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. III. 334 To the King himself, quhilk was set on the syment riall,..xx Franch crounis.
†32. To apply (a remedy) to; to bestow (pains).
a1300Cursor M. 89 To sette traueil On thyng þat may not auail. 1375Barbour Bruce x. 100 And he mycht set no help thar-till. c1375Cursor M. 4722 (Fairf.) Bot ȝe sette bote our life ys gane. c1440York Myst. v. 19 My trauayle were wele sette Myght y hym so betraye. c1450Merlin vii. 114 That alle shull be distroied but god sette remedye. 1481Caxton Godfrey 277 To thende that they myght sette remedye for theyr affayres. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 394 To sett ane remedy thairto.
†33. To add (one thing) to another. Obs.
c1055Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia VIII. 303 Nim þæt an, & sete onforeweardum þam concurrentium. c1175Lamb. Hom. 19 We wrecche sunfulle..setteð deihwamliche sunne uppon sunne. c1375Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B) 23 Grett saumpel he settis þer-to, whi hit is ful ille to do. c1449Pecock Repr. i. xi. 55 That to Holi Writt men schulde not sett eny exposiciouns, declaracions, or glosis. 1532More Confut. Tindale Wks. 505/2 If any manne any thing set to these thynges. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus i. i. Metres E iij b, They..sette a syllable or mo to the nexte verse folowynge.
34. to set († a) fire † in, † on, † upon, † of, now only to: to kindle, ignite. (Cf. 25.) Also U.S. to set a fire (without prepositional complement): to kindle or start a fire.
c1400Laud Troy Book 5879 Thei sette ffir In schip. 1535Coverdale Matt. xxii. 7 The kynge..destroyed those murtherers & set fyre vpon their Citie. 1568–1700 [see fire n. 1 f]. 1582N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Discov. E. Ind. 120 Our men..did set fire to all the Townes yt were in the Ilande. 1641T. Jordan Walks of Islington iv. ii. (1657) F 4, I will even make bold to set fire of your Bush [tavern], then throw your water and spare not. 1726Swift Gulliver i. vii, By setting fire on your house. 1885Manch. Exam. 8 July 5/2 These set fire by rockets to the straw barracks. 1906N.Y. Even. Post 15 Nov. 3 Two fires in tenement house letter boxes were set to-day at an early hour. 1907E. Glyn Three Weeks vi, As a child..who sets a light to a whole box of matches in play. 1976Washington Post 19 Apr. b1/7 The school had been broken into and the fire had been set.
35. To stake the welfare or existence of (something) upon; also pass. to be dependent for its destiny upon.
Phr. to set on (at) cinque and sice, set on six and seven: see cinque 3, six.
1594Shakes. Rich. III, v. iv. 9, I haue set my life vpon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the Dye. 1601― Jul. C. v. i. 75 To set Vpon one Battell all our Liberties. 1670Dryden Tyr. Love v. i. 49 Yet all my Fortune on his death is set. 1832[see die n.1 2 b (d)]. 1894W. J. Dawson Making of Manhood 74 Their life is set upon a rushing whirling star.
36. To put (one thing) in the balance against another; to compare (one thing) by or to another.
[a1000Boeth. Metr. vi. 7 Hiora birhtu ne bið auht to ᵹesettane wið þære sunnan leoht.] 1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xix. (Arb.) 241 When a man wil seeme to make things appeare good or bad,..he sets the lesse by the greater, or the greater to the lesse. 1687Burnet Reply to Varillas 30 Improbabilities ought never to be set against Positive Proofs. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables lxviii. 68 This method of Setting what we Have against What we have Not. 1729Act 2 Geo. II, c. 22 §13 Where there are mutual Debts between the Testator or Intestate, and either Party, one Debt may be set against the other. 1873Spencer Study Sociol. ii. 40 Against his professed theory may be set his actual practice. 1890Illustr. Lond. News 13 Sept. 331/1 Has she no human faults to set against so much sterile virtue?
*** Where something is made to dwell in or rest upon a person or thing.
37. a. To place (one's hope or trust) in († on); to cause (one's thoughts or affections) to dwell upon or to be centred in something. Phr. to set one's heart on († in).
c825Vesp. Ps. lxxvii. 7 Ðæt hie setten in gode hyht. 971Blickl. Hom. 227 Up to heofenum..þyder his modᵹeþanc a ᵹeseted wæs. a1300E.E. Psalter lxi. 11 Nil þou set on þam þi hert. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 7226 Þai..on þe world þair hertes sett hard. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 392 Many men..more sette here hertis In good þan in god. c1386Chaucer Monk's T. 854 In vengeance he al his herte sette. c1400Rule St. Benet (Verse) 607 In god we set al our thoght. 1470–85Malory Arthur i. xvii. 62 Kyng Arthur sette his loue gretely vpon her. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VII (1550) 3 b, Whose mindes and studyes he..knewe to be..set in the polytique regiment..of the publique wealth. 1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes Day Wks. 1910 II. 307 To set mynde, upon vice and wickednesse. 1617Moryson Itin. ii. 195 His heart is very much set upon the enterprize of Ireland. 1714Addison Lover No. 10 ⁋3 The fragility of china is such as a reasonable being ought by no means to set its heart upon. 1802M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. xi. 90 He had set his fancy upon his friend's horses. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xliii, She had set her mind on the Major. 1862Tyndall Mountaineer i. 3 We set our thoughts on the sublime and beautiful. 1870Rogers Hist. Glean. Ser. ii. 203 He had set his heart on seeing his son a clergyman. 1891E. & D. Gerard Sensit. Pl. III. iii. xii. 91 Jeannette had set her fancy there.
†b. pass. and intr. (said of the affections). Obs.
1607Tourneur Rev. Trag. iv. i. G 3 Where the hearts set, there goes the tongues consent. 1831Scott Ct. Rob. x, Whether, she had..felt a partiality towards one whose heart was not particularly set upon gaining hers.
†38. To cause (a feeling or state of mind) to arise in a person; to fix in one's mind. Obs.
971Blickl. Hom. 125 Uton we symle þæs dæᵹes fyrhto & eᵹsan on ure mod settan. c1200Ormin 2337 Þe laffdiȝ Sannte Marȝe..haffde sett inn hire þohht To libbenn i clænnesse. Ibid. 7187 Iss ned tatt he Dredinng & aȝhe sette On alle þa [etc.]. a1225Leg. Kath. 646 Sete, Iesu, swucche sahen i my muð to marhen. a1225Ancr. R. 32 Alle monne sores setteð in ower þouhte. a1300Cursor M. 6060 To seitt him soru at his hert. c1400Apol. Loll. 24 If ȝe wil not sett to þe hert to ȝef glory to my name. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus i. iii. G ij b, What care goest thou about to set at thy fathers hart.
39. a. To rest (one's eye, one's look) upon.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 13821 Ilk on oþer auisement sett. c1386Chaucer Clerk's T. 233 Vp on Grisilde..this Markys sette his eye. c1386― Man of Law's T. 1053 At the firste look he on hire sette. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4423 His syght on þe lyght he settys. 1575Gascoigne Hemetes the heremyte Wks. 1910 II. 482, I cold nevr more sett eye on her. a1645Waller To Amoret 5 Joy salutes me when I set My blest Eyes on Amoret. 1765Foote Commissary ii. (1782) 32 The first time I set eyes on captain Wilkins..I accost him. 1852Dickens Bleak Ho. xlvi, He..never has been seen or heard of since, till I set eyes on him just now.
†b. to set sight of (in) = to set eyes on, to sight. Obs.
c1595Capt. Wyatt R. Dudley's Voy. W. Ind. (Hakl. Soc.) 11 On which daie it pleased God that wee sett sight of a carvell. 1746Exmoor Scolding (E.D.S.) l. 37 Nif zo be tha dest bet zet Zeert [= sight] in Harry Vursdon.
40. To put (a mark, impression) upon; to place as a distinguishing mark, token, or imprint. Now rhetorical.
a1000Cædmon's Gen. 2369 Abraham..sette friðotacen [viz. circumcision]..on his selfes sunu. 1382Wyclif Gen. iv. 15 The Lord sette a signe in Caym [1611 set a marke vpon]. 1412–20Lydg. Chron. Troy iv. 2156 Al paie is good, be so þe prente be set. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. ii. ii. 31 In womens waxen hearts to set their formes. 1653E. Manlove Lead-mines 21 The Barghmaster..on the Spindel ought to set a nick, If that the grove unworked be three week. 1653Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 4, I shall hope to set nothing upon his spirit but what may be of a good sculpture.
41. To lay or spread (a surface of a certain kind) on an object; hence, to put (a favourable or specious appearance) upon a thing.
to set a good face upon: see face n. 10. to set a gloss upon: see gloss n.
1540Palsgr. Acolastus ii. i. I iij, Seinge thou settest as good a face vpon beanes, as if they were blanched almondes. 1566Gascoigne Supposes iv. v, What a brazen face he setteth on it! 1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iv. ii. 7 Iacke Cade the Cloathier, meanes to dresse the Common-wealth and turne it, and set a new nap vpon it. 1602― Ham. iv. vii. 133 Wee'l..set a double varnish on the fame The Frenchman gaue you. 1607― Timon i. ii. 152 You haue..Set a faire fashion on our entertainment. 1649Milton Eikon. Pref. B 4 b, They took him to set a face upon thir own malignant designes. 1697Dryden Virg. Past. ix. 8 Kick'd out, we set the best face on't we cou'd. 1716Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Pope 14 Sept., I find that I have.., whatever face I set on't, a strong disposition to believe in miracles.
42. To put (an edge or point) on, to. (Cf. 75.)
1600Nashe Summer's Last Will F 1, What sets an edge on a knife? the grindstone alone? no, the moyst element powr'd vpon it, which grinds out all gaps, sets a poynt vpon it. 1620Westward for Smelts (Percy Soc.) 11 This did but set an edge to her wanton appetite. 1647C. Harvey Schola Cordis xxxix. 3 What I get Serves but to set An edge upon mine appetite. 1891Cornh. Mag. Dec. 638, I am now setting a very keen edge to my blade.
43. a. To fix (a certain price) upon a thing; now chiefly in to set a price upon one's head and the like; otherwise expressed by put. (Cf. 89.)
1530Palsgr. 715/2 And you set nat a price upon your marchaundyse, howe can it be bought? 1652Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. 492 Setting great ransom upon their Fisher-men. 1666–7Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 203 A Bill has bin read for setting the prices of wine as well upon the merchant as retaylor. 1687Burnet Contin. Reply to Varillas 35 There is not a word of any sum set on his Head. 1720Ozell Vertot's Rom. Rep. II. xi. 184 Sylla set a Price upon the Heads of all that were proscribed. 1765[see premium 1]. 1861Temple Bar I. 521 A price was set upon the head of the Prince. 1880D. C. Davies Metallif. Min. 420 s.v., To set a price upon a share in a mine.
b. fig. To put (a certain value) upon, have (a certain estimate) of.
1611Shakes. Cymb. iv. iv. 48 Since of your liues you set So slight a valewation. 1671Milton P.R. iv. 160 That I On what I offer set as high esteem. 1756M. Calderwood in Coltness Collect. (Maitland Club) 238 After setting a just value upon others, I must next set it on myself.
†44. To lay (something burdensome) upon; to impose or inflict (a penalty, tax, etc.) upon. Obs.
c888ælfred Boeth. xxxix. §10 Þæt God nylle..nan unaberendlice broc him an settan. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 1266 Hwonne frea wolde on wærloᵹan wite settan. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 61 Listeð nu wich þreat dauid setteð uppen us. 1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 55 Forto reise þe treuage, þat on þe lond was sette. 13..Cursor M. 23666 (Gött) [Pine] Þat godd has sett vs for vr sin. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6246 þe tax on þaim to sett. 1537in Leadam Sel. Cases Crt. Requests (Selden Soc.) 47 The seid felaweship..sett vpon euery of the seyd compleynauntes for his contribucion xij d. by the yere. 1552–3Act 7 Edw. VI, c. 12 §10 The somme or sommes upon hym sett to be due. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 115 There being a great penalty set upon any that carry their Armes. 1639Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 220 This man sets a seisure on Nilamon's lands. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 399 He was to have a proportion of all the fines that should be set upon this evidence. 1761Chron. in Ann. Reg. June, Of which offence he being convicted, the Court set a fine on him.
V. To appoint, institute (a person); to prescribe, ordain, establish (a thing).
45. To post or station (a person) in a certain place to perform certain duties.
With infin. this sense passes into 112 b.
971Blickl. Hom. 177 Þa he bebyrᵹed wæs, settan him hyrdas to. a1225Ancr. R. 270 Isboset lei & slepte & sette ane wummon uorte beon ȝeteward. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8113 Hii..at ech of þe vour ȝates sette an compaynie. Ibid. 10685 He astorede þe castel..& sette þer uolk inou to holde him aȝe þe kinge. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. x. 22 Þeose sixe ben I-set to saue þe Castel. c1400Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxv. fol. 55 b, Þe stable þat oweth to be sette or þe kyng comme. c1450Mirk's Festial 16 Þen wer þer þefes set for hym yn a wod þat he most nede goo þrogh. a1533Ld. Berners Huon lxxxiii. 259 Loke that ye set good watche at euery gate. 1598Barret Theor. Warres ii. i. 22 He shall..assist him..in setting the watch. 1630Winthrop Hist. New Eng. (1825) I. 10 Our captain, so soon as he had set the watch, at eight in the evening, called his men. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 607 Like Centries set. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) Rr 4 b, To set the Watch, is to appoint one division of the crew to enter upon the duty of the watch. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxxviii, How came he to leave the Castle after the watch was set? 1873Spencer Stud. Sociol. x. 251 Spies have to be set to check them. 1877C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iii. xxiii. 214 A watch was set all round the castle.
†46. To place (a person) in an office, appoint to a certain function or to perform a certain duty; to appoint (an official). Obs.
c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) civ. 17 He sette hine on his huse to hlafwearde. c1200Ormin 13438, I sette ȝuw to ben Amang hæþene lede Lihhtfattess muþ. a1300Cursor M. 11753 Preistes..To do þe folk, als þai war sete, Ma sacrifies to þair maumet. Ibid. 23877 Hirdes þat þe lauerd has sett. c1400Rule St. Benet (Prose) 20 Þabbes ah at set nan þar-to bot þat scho is sikir offe. c1450Brut 429 He..made his testament full, and sette his executoris. c1460Oseney Reg. 5 The which sett in the seyde church seculer chanons. c1460Sir R. Ros La Belle Dame 613 There is no iuge yset on such trespace. 1486Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1904) 7 Than I woll..admytte..an honest preest to the said Chauntry, & hym set & inducte in the same. 1498Cov. Leet Bk. 597 Auditours therupon to be sett.
47. a. To place in a position of superiority or control over another (e.g. as a ruler, protector, guard).
c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) xvii. 48 Þa hælo þæs cynges ðe ðu ᵹesettest ofer folcum. 1123O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.), Hit wæs toᵹeanes riht þæt man scolde setten clerc ofer muneces. c1200Ormin 3910 To..setten enngless oferr hemm To ȝemenn hemm. a1225Ancr. R. 72 Þet beoð ouer oðre iset, & habbeð ham to witene. a1300Cursor M. 6222 Ouer al þat ost he sett leders. c1400Rule St. Benet (Verse) 965 Lord, o-bouen set hase þou Souerayns to wham vs bus bew. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. iv. 76 b, The Ambassadors, vnto whom they are set ouer as theyr gard. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 941 Us his prime Creatures,..Set over all his Works. a1700Evelyn Diary Sept. 1646, They..set a guard upon us. 1754Richardson Grandison IV. xiii. 80 The seventh man was set over the post-boy. 1844H. H. Wilson Brit. India I. 235 In the estimation of those whom he was set over. 1879Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xiv. 127 He promoted the French clergy, and set them over the English.
b. To cause (a person) to act in a grievous way upon.
Phr. to set (one) in another's neck: see neck n. 3 c. Similarly to set on another's back.
1551Robinson tr. More's Utopia ii. viii. (1895) 251 They reyse vp the people..and them they sette in theyre neckes vnder the coloure of some olde tytle of ryghte. 1692Dryden Cleomenes iv. i, Your Friend was set upon you for a Spy. 1695Wood Life (O.H.S.) IV. 49 He endeavoured to set Sir William Glynn on his back.
c. to set (a person) on (another): to get him to use influence with. rare.
a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 241 He took care to set the English Bishops on the King.
48. To appoint (a boundary, limit). Const. dat. of person or equivalent with to.
c888ælfred Boeth. xxi, He hæfð heora mearce swa ᵹesette þæt hie ne mot heore mearce ᵹebrædan. a1000ælfric Exod. xix. 23 Þu hete settan ᵹemæro. 1535Coverdale Ps. ciii. 9 Thou hast set them their boundes, which they maie not passe. 1576Gascoigne Grief of Joy Wks. 1910 II. 521 Asthough y⊇ bounds were sett, How longe mans lyfe, might heere on earthe endure. a1586Sidney Arcadia iii. (Sommer) 265 Since she found she could set no limits to his passions. 1667Milton P.L. iii. 538 Where bounds were set To darkness. 1678Cudworth Intell. Syst. 882 Those narrow Limits, which Vulgar Opinion and Imagination sets them. 1749Smollett Gil Blas ix. i. (1782) III. 226 Ambitious fellows, who set no bounds to their desires. 1827Scott Highl. Widow v, My sufferings will soon be over; but yours—Oh, who but Heaven shall set a boundary to them! 1885‘Lucas Malet’ Col. Enderby's Wife II. iv. i. 130 The limits of our nature are set, and we can never cross them.
†49. To appoint (a season, festival, etc.) to be observed. Obs.
c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) lxxv. 7 Þæt ic þe symble daᵹ sette and ᵹyrwe. c1000ælfric Hom. I. 310 Þes dæᵹ [Pentecostes] wæs on ðære ealdan æ ᵹesett and ᵹehalᵹod. c1175Lamb. Hom. 11 Þas daȝes beoð iset us to muchele helpe. a1300Cursor M. 28260 Þe festes þat in kyrk ar sette. 1340Ayenb. 171 Þe festes principals þet byeþ yzet ine holy Cherche vor God to bidde.
50. To ordain or establish (a regulation); to lay down (a law); to prescribe (a form or order). † Also, in OE. and ME., to ordain or lay it down (that something should be done). Obs. or arch.
Cf. set law s.v. set ppl. a. 1 b.
c893ælfred Oros. i. ii. §3 Hio ᵹesette ofer eall hyre rice þæt nan forbyrd nære [etc.]. a900Cynewulf Crist 236 [God] sylfa sette þæt þu sunu wære efeneardiᵹende mid þinne engan frean. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1102, Hi þær maneᵹa beboda setton þe to Cristendome belimpað. c1200Ormin 491 Drihhtin haffde þanne sett, Þatt nan ne shollde wurrþenn Þa sett to wurrþenn prest, butt iff He prestess sune wære. a1225Leg. Kath. 359 Alle ich iseo þine sahen sotliche isette. c1449Pecock Repr. iv. vii. 461 Seint Poul..which made this now rehercid lawe and settide it to be had in vce. 1477Norton Ord. Alch. iv. in Ashm. (1652) 46 Rasis set the Dietary. 15..Bodenham in Hakluyt Voy. (1599) II. i. 100 The chiefe of the Turkes set order yt none shal do any harme to the people or to their goods. 1666–7Pepys Diary 14 Feb., When our rules are once set,..no Governor should offer to alter them. 1865Grote Plato I. xii. 422 Actual positive laws: which..have..been set by some ill-qualified historical ruler, or have grown up insensibly.
absol.c1200Ormin Ded. 10 An reȝhellboc to follȝhenn Unnderr kanunnkess had & lif, Swa summ Sannt Awwstin sette. c1400Destr. Troy 379 After custome to kepe as the Kyng set.
51. a. To fix or appoint (a time) for the transaction of an affair, or as the term of a period. Also, to fix a time for. Cf. set ppl. a. 2 a.
a1056Diplom. Angl. (Th.) 376 [Hi] settan dæᵹ to þæt man to ðam lande scolde faran. a1122[see A. 1 α]. c1205Lay. 2554 A þon daie þet wes iset Þa comen heo to sumne. c1290Beket 782 in S. Eng. Leg. 129 Ich þe lende þo fif hondred pound..Sete me þar-of ane schorte day for þov schalt heom ȝelde ech-on. a1300Cursor M. 5939 Sett vs term wen we sal for þe prai. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 103 Þere was i-sette a day to answere. 1470–85Malory Arthur x. lxxxvii. 568 Sette ye a day said sir Tristram that we shalle doo bataille. 1548–77Vicary Anat. i. (1888) 16 They shal..neuer set any certaine day of the sicke-mans health, for it lyeth not in their power. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts Isa. xvi. 14 Within three yeares (which shall be as precisely set and observed, as the hireling uses to keep account of the time agreed upon for his service). 1693Locke Educ. §127 Wks. 1714 III. 58 Upon his dispatching his Study within the Time set him. 1753Richardson Grandison IV. xxi. 163, I thank my grandmamma and aunt for their kind summons. I will soon set my day. a1810Tannahill Poems (1846) 21 Let's set the bridal night afore ye gang. 1890M. E. Wilkins Far-away Melody, etc. 305 Two o'clock had been the hour set for the wedding. 1893Field 18 Feb. 225/3 The club's opening day..is set for April 22.
b. Said of God, destiny, etc.; also in impers. pass.
a1300Cursor M. 15163 Þe tide, þat in his suete wil was sett. 1390Gower Conf. I. 191 The time set of kinde is come. 1460–70Bk. Quintessence 1 Þe teerme þat is sett of god, þat noman may a-schape. 1590Lodge Rosalynde (Hunter. Club) 1 b, You see that Fate hath set a period of my yeares. 1594Kyd Cornelia iv. ii. 147 Heauen sets our time. 1611Second Maiden's Trag. 364 Yet sir ther is a date set to all sorrowes. 1667Milton P.L. x. 499 His Seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head. 1681H. More Expos. Dan. 199 God had set his time wherein these afflictions..should end.
†c. intr. To fix upon a time. Obs.
1648Gage West Ind. 84 We set upon the time that we should take our flight.
†52. trans. To appoint as one's lot or destiny. Also absol. Obs.
c1000ælfric Hom. I. 64 Ac he sette ᵹecamp ᵹeleaffullum sawlum. c1200Ormin 775, & forrþi sette himm Drihhtin Godd To ben Johan ȝehatenn. Ibid. 4836 All þatt he setteþþ uppo þe Off sellþe & off unnsellþe. a1300Cursor M. 15548 Als prophetis has sett..I sal rise on þe thrid dai. a1400–50Wars Alex. 522 He..Said it was sett to be so he saȝe by his artis. c1470Henry Wallace viii. 691 For Inglismen he settis no doym bot ded.
†53. To appoint or provide to be used or observed by a person. Obs.
c1000ælfric Hom. I. 312 On ðam ealdan Pentecosten sette God æ ðam Israhela folce. 1129O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.), Crist sette red for his wrecce folc. c1200Ormin 11690 Þe lare off haliȝ boc Þatt ȝuw iss sett to follȝhenn. 1340Ayenb. 11 Þe tuelf apostles þet hise zette to hyealde and to loky to alle þon þet wyleþ by yborȝe. c1430Life St. Kath. (Roxb.) 28 After þe offices þat he hath sett vn to hem. c1450J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. xi, Sche took councell of Seyn Ambrose, and he sette hir þis reule. 1690Locke Hum. Und. ii. xxvii. §6. 158 It would be in vain for one intelligent Being, to set a Rule to the Actions of another.
54. a. To present (an example or pattern) for others to follow; to introduce (a fashion).
c1175Lamb. Hom. 5 Godalmihti..sette us bisne. a1340Hampole Psalter xxvii. 1 Crist..settand him ensaumpile til rightwismen. 1642Milton Apol. Smect. §12. 57 Their Maister Christ gave them this precept, and set them this example. 1710Atterbury Serm. (Matt. xi. 6) (1734) I. 81 To trace all the Steps of that Example which he set us in the Flesh. 1786Microcosm No. 11. 130 Homer having prescribed the form, or, to use a more modern term, set the fashion of Epic Poems. 1867Freeman Norm. Conq. I. v. 378 A Thegn of Danish descent, Thurcytel.., set the example of flight. 1883Ch. Times 9 Nov. 813/3 He set a pattern of controversial violence at a time when tolerance was the lesson most needed by all parties. 1890S. Lane-Poole Barbary Corsairs ii. xvi. 213 The Genoese and Venetians set the models of these vessels. 1895A. J. Balfour Found. Belief i. ii. 54 A fashion, as the phrase goes, has to be ‘set’.
b. To put before a person (a specimen of work) to be followed, mark out (the lines) on which he is to work or proceed.
1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iv. ii. 95 We tooke him setting of boyes Copies. 1638Junius Paint. Ancients 8 Children follow the copies which are set them. c1680Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 586 To walk..in the ways which he hath set them. 1714Pope Let. to Caryll 16 Aug., I could turn writing-master at last and set copies to children. 1862Maclaren Milit. Syst. Gymnastic Exerc. 9 The instructor will set (i.e., perform in its perfect manner) each exercise. 1912Scott. Hist. Rev. Jan. 193 Successful in a brief military campaign on lines set for him by his circumstances.
†c. To start (a hymn, etc.) for others to take up.
c1450in Aungier Syon (1840) 360 The chefe chauntresse. To whos charge..it belongeth for..to sette the songe euen and mensurably. 1712Steele Spect. No 284 ⁋5, I had one Day set the Hundredth Psalm, and was singing the first Line in order to put the Congregation into the Tune. 1726Adv. Capt. R. Boyle (1768) 148 One Sunday as the Clerk had set the Psalm. 1742Fielding Jos. Andrews i. vi, I should be very willing to be his Clerk: for which you know I am qualified, being able to read, and to set a Psalm.
d. In a chase or race, to set the pace, to proceed at a rate of speed to be followed by another. So to set the stroke (in rowing).
1891Murray's Mag. Mar. 367 Walking the pace set by her pupil. 1892Field 2 Apr. 480/1 Elin, in the Cambridge boat, is setting a longer stroke. 1898H. Newbolt Isl. Race 84 He's leading them straight for Blackmoor Gate, And he's setting a pounding pace!
e. Bowls, etc. (See quots.)
1886W. Somerset Word-bk. s.v., At each round [of skittles] the loser has to set—i.e. to fix the spot where the bowl shall be delivered in the next. 1897Encycl. Sport I. 129/2 (Bowls), A ‘mark’ is set, thrown, or led, by the winners of an end after the score has been settled.
55. a. To allot or enjoin (a task). Const. dative of person or upon.
In mod. use often pass. said of what is required to be done.
a1300Cursor M. 29000 Crist..has he sett vs certain task quilk ar þai bones for to ask. 1693Locke Educ. §127 (1699) 235 Set him such a Task, to be done in such a time, as may allow him no opportunity to be idle. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxxvii, Repeating the words like a task which was set him. 1821Baroness Bunsen in Hare Life (1879) I. 187 While I sit working or setting work. 1845[Pycroft] Collegian's Guide 107, I shall close my door another morning after the first five minutes, and then set impositions. 1847Marryat Childr. New Forest xiv, I shall not set him anything to do. 1884Manch. Exam. 17 June 5/1 The master..was in the habit of setting lessons for the children to work upon at home after school hours. 1892Standard 27 July 7/5 The Club were set 94 runs to win. 1892Field 6 Feb. 188/1 We had our work set to keep up with hounds.
b. Mining, etc. To appoint the amount of (work to be done).
1742De Foe's Tour Gt. Brit. (ed. 3) I. 141 They appoint..the Quantity each Dredgerman shall take in a Day, which is usually called Setting the Stint. 1868Ballantyne Deep Down xxviii, The manager..read out the names, positions, etc., of the various ‘pitches’ that were to be ‘sett’ for the following month. 1880D. C. Davies Metallif. Min. 420 To set bargains or work to miners. 1900Daily News 3 Dec. 10/3 Those other bargains which it was impracticable to ‘set’ on the 19th and 20th November will be ‘set’ as usual on the same day (December 5th).
c. To propound (a question or set of questions) to be solved or answered; to prescribe (a book) for an examination or a course of study.
1711[see A. 1 α]. 1845[Pycroft] Collegian's Guide 317 [It] enabled Williamson.. to answer two of the ethical questions with the ipsissima verba of two of the examiners who set them. 1889Mrs. E. Lynn Linton Thro' Long Night I. i. vii. 101 No mind-reader..could have solved the problem had it been set him. 1890Jrnl. Educ. 1 June 297/2 He will henceforward set no papers either in Greek or in Latin verse. 1891Murray's Mag. X. 743 Milton's ‘Areopagitica’ is set for examinations. 1895Law Times XCIX. 547/1 The intermediate examination is in special books set from time to time.
†56.
a. To appoint (a meeting), make (an appointment). Also absol. Obs.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 4702 Galathin & Gawainet To gider com, þer þai hadde set. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xviii. (Egipciane) 1160 To þe kirk he come but let, quhare scho to hyme triste set. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. ii. 119 (Qo.), Nowe shall we knowe if Gadshill haue set a match. a1810Tannahill Poems (1846) 19 They set their tryst where neist again to meet.
†b. To appoint (a council, etc.) to be held. Obs.
1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. l. 30 Ther was a counsell set to be at Uyllenort. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 394 He sett ane parliament at Edinburgh to be haldin the tent day of Juin.
57. a. To let on lease, lease, let. Also to set in feu, set in feu ferm, set in lease, set in tack. Now local.
1422in Raine North Durham (1852) App. 104 For til haue Set & to ferme latty[n] to my der frende all my landis of Eddirham. 1426in C. Rogers Chartul. Priory Coldstream (1879) 43 Be it kend..ws Wilȝame Drax..till haue set and to ferme lattyn al ye landis of Litill Swynton. c1480Oseney Reg. (Exch. MS.) 60 b, Howses..the which, to whoome soo ever they will, they maye sett or lette. 1495Rolls of Parlt. VI. 465/1 Moche lesse Rent..then the said Lordshippes..myght resonably be sette for. 1523Fitzherb. Surv. 2 b, How moche euery acre is worthe to set by the yere. 1564Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 304 He..hes.. set and disponit the few of the saidis landis owir his heid. 1600Holland Livy xxvii. 635 That these Censors should set and to ferme let the territorie of Capua. 1618in Rec. Convent. Roy. Burghs Scot. (1878) III. 61 Thai..sall nather sell, dispone or sett in few or in tak anie of the saids lands. 1682G. Vernon Life Heylin 120 He removed his Study to Alresford, setting his House for no more than 3 l. a year. 1693Stair Instit. ii. xi. (ed. 2) 347 All Tacks set by the Vassal without the Superiors Consent. 1710Swift Jrnl. to Stella 26 Oct., I have had also a letter from Parvisol, with an account how my livings are set; and that they are fallen, since last year, sixty pounds. 1788Burke Sp. agst. W. Hastings Wks. XIII. 233 By setting the rest to farmers at rents and under hopes, which could never be realized. 1790Wolcot (P. Pindar) Ep. to Jas. Bruce Wks. 1816 II. 163 A comely spot..; A lease-hold though..; Set..at a moderate rent. 1806Morison Decis. XXXIII. 14259 The magistrates and council did set in lease to certain persons a stell fishing. 1884R. Hunt Brit. Mining 107 The custom of setting or leasing a mine on tribute. 1910P. W. Joyce Engl. in Irel. 319 A struggling housekeeper failed to let her lodging, which a neighbour explained by: ‘Ah, she's no good at setting’.
†b. intr. To take a (mining) lease. Cf. set n.1 3 b. Obs.
1653E. Manlove Lead-mines 3 May set In any ground, and there Lead-oar may get. Ibid. 37 The Vulgar term, is setting for a Mine, For the grace of God, and what I there can find. Ibid. 41 Another Miner for a Crosse-vein sets.
†58.
a. trans. To establish by agreement or authority (a settled condition, an alliance, a peace). Obs.
c900tr. Bæda's Hist. iii. xviii. §1 Þa wilnode he þæt lif onhyriᵹan, þe he well ᵹesæt ᵹeseah in Gallia rice. c1205Lay. 30031 Heo setten grið, heo sette frið. a1300Cursor M. 25870 Þer has þi schrift sett end o pyne, Þat elles war wit-vten fine. a1450Le Morte Arth. 2331 A trews they sette and sekeryd thare. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. lii. 30 b, The thyrde shulde set agrement bytwene them. 1535Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) I. 411 As ye can..sett a fynall ende therin. 1545in Leadam Sel. Cases Crt. Requests (Selden Soc.) 175 To sett suche fynall ordre and determinacion therin as maye stand with our Lawes. 1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes day Wks. 1910 II. 352 Thynke not..that I came to set peace in the world. 1581G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. (1586) 31 It is now high time to set an end to this discourse. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. ii. 2 Hauing sette an order in his householde affaires. 1632Bp. Hall Hard Texts Matt. xv. 2 Why do thy disciples violate and neglect this good order, set by our wise Elders in their repast? 1633Ibid. 2 Sam. xix. 29, I have in my first sentence set an order in these affaires. 1652Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. Ep. Ded. 14 You were readie to set an end to the present differences.
†b. To settle (an affair). Obs.
1605Stow Ann. 1426 [Jas. I] called a councell to him, and taking order for setting all things in his Realme of Scotland, began his voyage towards England. 1619Cushman in Bradford Plymouth Plant. (1856) 36, I..could not effecte yt which I aimed at, neither can yet sett things as I wished.
VI. To put in position, arrange, fix, adjust.
* To fix or arrange in a required position or manner.
59. To spread out (a net) to catch animals; to lay (a trap). † Also absol.
For set a gin, snare, trap used phraseologically in a fig. sense, see the ns.
c825Vesp. Ps. cxviii. 110 Setten synfulle ᵹerene me. a1000Colloq. ælfric in Wr.-Wülcker 92 Ic brede me max and sette hiᵹ on stowe ᵹehæppre. a1250Owl & Night. 1057 Þe louerd.., Lym & grune & wel ihwat Sette & leyde þe for to lacche. a1366, etc. [see gin n.1 4]. 1388Wyclif Jer. v. 26 Fouleres settynge snaris and trappis. 1530Palsgr. 711/2 Go set for some connyes. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 56 As they had ben settand tinchellis for the murther of wyld beistes. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 413 For stalking Cranes to set the guileful Snare. 1815[see gin n.1 4]. 1817J. Mayer Sportsman's Direct. (ed. 2) 176 To have traps constantly set and baited. 1827Act 7–8 Geo. IV, c. 18 §1 If any Person shall set or place..any Spring Gun, Man Trap, or other Engine calculated to destroy human Life. 1842Act 5 & 6 Vict. c. 106 §7 Every Person offending by setting or leaving set any such Net. 1889Doyle Micah Clarke iv, We..proceeded to set our lines [for fishing]. 1890Good Words Aug. 549/1 The snare was set..outside the field.
60. a. To put (a thing) in place; to fix up in the proper or required manner; † to erect (a tent, a mast); in early use often = set up, 154 m.
1399Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 166 Kerving þe cloþe all to pecis, Þat seuene goode sowers..Moun not sett þe seemes ne sewe hem aȝeyn. a1400–50Wars Alex. 1143 And þen trussis him to Tyre & þare his tentis settis. 1429–30Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1904) 73 For ijc latthes set..xvj d. a1530Heywood Play of Wether 742 (Brandl) Except ye be perfyt in settynge your [mill]stones. 1603Shuttleworths' Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 151 A mason, iiij days and halfe settinge the chimly pyppes. a1647in Archæologia XII. 283 We reared our sheers to set our masts. 1669Boyle Contn. New Exp. ii. (1682) 187 Whilst I set the screw all things in the Receiver suffered a compression. 1720De Foe Capt. Singleton xvii. (1840) 296 She lay to set her mast. 1735Dyche & Pardon Dict., Set,..a Term used for turning a Crane round, so as to raise the Weight that is to be shipped from the Shore. 1765Franklin Let. Wks. 1887 III. 390 You mention nothing of the furnace. If that iron one is not set, let it alone till my return. 1830Hedderwick Mar. Archit. 280 Having the sheer adjusted and set fair on one side. 1863G. A. Lawrence Border & Bastille iv, The fore and hind wheels are nearly the same height, and set very close together. 1870Inquiry, Yorksh. Deaf & Dumb 18 She has been occupied in setting cards to card wool with. 1883Law Times Rep. XLIX. 139/1 He [a slater] was to have 4s. a square, 2d. a foot for setting the ridge. 1890Billings Nat. Med. Dict. II. 498 The lancets are set and released simultaneously. 1891Labour Commission Gloss., Setting trees, the placing of timber props to support the roof in a coal mine.
b. = set going (114 c).
c1500More Wks. {fatpara} iij, A toppe can I set, and dryue it in his kynde. 1781Cowper Let. to Rev. W. Unwin 28 May, When the press is once set..[the printers] are rather impatient of any delay. 1819Hayman Art of Brewing 16 When the tap is set, the liquor passes perpendicularly through the goods. 1833Brewster Nat. Magic xi. 294 He can, by setting an engine, produce [etc.].
61. To insert (a stitch). Phr. to set a stitch, to use needle and thread, to sew. Formerly † to set seams.
1683Kennett tr. Erasm. on Folly 94 For a poor Cobbler to set a stitch on the Sabbath day. 1771Foote Maid of B. iii. Wks. 1799 II. 239, I am almost resolved never to set another stitch for him as long as I live. 1856C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain xxvii. 654 Bellairs..shed a tear for every stitch she set in the trousseau. 1862― C'tess Kate xiv, She has never let Lily wear a stitch but of her setting.
62. Baking, Glass-making, etc. To put into the oven or furnace.
1483Cath. Angl. 263/1 To set in Owen..jn fornacem ponere. 1530Palsgr. 714/1 At the settyng in to the oven folkes make syde loves. 1735Dyche & Pardon Dict., Set,..in particular used by Bakers, as putting their Bread, &c. into the Oven. 1834–6Barlow in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 459/1 The seggars, in setting-in the oven, are first placed in the spaces between the bags opposite the entrance. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 577 (Glass-making) Before setting the pots in the furnace. 1845G. Dodd Brit. Manuf. IV. 45 The withdrawal of an old pot and replacing it with a new one is called ‘setting a pot’. 1854G. Read Biscuit Baker's Assist. (ed. 2) 15 An old practice of setting a suit of biscuits, called ‘chuck and shove’. 1885Lock in Workshop Rec. Ser. iv. 171/1 Before commencing to ‘set’ the retorts.
63. a. To fix (a stone or gem) in a surface of metal as an ornament; † formerly also on a garment (cf. set n.1 22). Also, to fashion (a design or pattern) in precious stones.
a1500Flower & Leaf 146 Many a riche stone Was set on the purfiles. 1501Bury Wills (Camden) 91 A ryng of gold wt a toorkes set in. 1530Palsgr. 710/2, I wyll set my rubye in fyne golde. 1604E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies vi. xiv. 459 To cut, and set the stones in worke. 1607–12Bacon Ess., Beauty (Arb.) 208 Vertue is like a rich stone, best plaine sett. 1611Bible 1 Chron. xxix. 2 Onix stones, and stones to be set. 1710Steele Tatler No. 245 ⁋2 A Crochet of 122 Diamonds, set strong and deep in Silver. 1737[S. Berington] G. di Lucca's Mem. (1738) 15 We found several Precious Stones, some Set, some Unset, of a very great Value. 1828Mirror V. 15/2 Fine brilliants are always set open. 1890W. C. Russell Ocean Trag. xxvii, On the back..were his initials set in brilliants.
transf. and fig.1596Shakes. Merch. V. ii. vii. 55 O sinfull thought, neuer so rich a Iem Was set in worse then gold. 1681Dryden Span. Friar iv. ii, And him too rich a Jewel to be set In vulgar metal, or for vulgar use. 1827Keble Chr. Y., 2nd Sunday Adv. iv, Each tender gem, Set in the figtree's polish'd stem. 1890Blackw. Mag. CXLVIII. 23/2 No vice could be odious when set in so much gold.
b. transf. and fig. To place (a thing) in a certain setting; † to frame (a picture).
1530Palsgr. 711/1 Now that my picture of the crucifix is set in bordes. 1712Addison Spect. No. 328 She..draws all her Relations Pictures in Miniature; [which]..must be..set by no body but Charles Mather. 1822Coleridge Table-t. 29 Dec., A scrubby boy, with a shining face set in dirt. 1825New Monthly Mag. XVI. 534 It is a dark and terrible picture richly set in a massive framework of old English manners. 1865Trollope Belton Est. iii. 33 Large square windows set in stone.
c. To fix (artificial teeth) on the plate.
1844P. B. Goddard (title) The anatomy..of the human teeth; with methods of treatment; including operations, and making and setting teeth. 1878C. Hunter Mech. Dentistry viii. 100 The models..must now have wax plates made for them, and upon these the teeth are set.
64. a. To put (a sail) up in position to catch the wind. Also said of a ship carrying (so much canvas).
[a1300: see set up, 154 b.] 1627Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ix. 41 Set your foresaile. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. ii. 16 Loose the Main-sail, and set him. 1799Naval Chron. I. 377 Their..ships..set all their plain sails. 1805in Nicolas Disp. (1846) VII. 166 note, All our masts badly wounded and no sail fit to set. 1890Chamb. Jrnl. 26 July 469/2 There was no more canvas on her to set. 1892Engl. Illustr. Mag. X. 42 When under full sail this vessel sets 45,000 square feet of canvas.
fig.1819Crabbe T. of Hall xi. 869 A daily guest the man appear'd, Set all his sail, and for his purpose steer'd. 1843A. Bethune Scott. Peasant's Fireside 15 Setting all the sail they could to catch the gale of admiration.
b. phr. to set sail: to start on a sea voyage. Also † to set one's sails: to sail.
1513Douglas æneis v. xiii. 69 That salflie throw the se It may be lefull thai thare salis set. 1599Bodenham in Hakluyt's Voy. II. i. 100 After the sayde dayes expired, I wayed & set saile for the Iland of Chio. 1615G. Sandys Trav. 227 On the sixt of June they were licensed to set sail. 1712Addison Spect. No. 507 ⁋6 When Pompey was desired not to set sail in a tempest that would hazard his life. 1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) III. 90 He reimbarked in the frigate, and directly set sail. 1890T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. from 1689, 118 Buonaparte set sail from Toulon.
65. a. To put (a movable part of an instrument or piece of mechanism) in a certain position.
c1391Chaucer Astrol. ii. §3 Tho sette I the centre of this Alhabor vpon 18 degrees among myn Almykantaras. 1592Hues Treat. Globes iv. xii, The Globe being set to the latitude of the place. 1675J. S. Horol. Dial. ii. 39 What hour soever you would have your Larrums to ring at, to that figure..set your Larrum hand. 1833Encycl. Brit. (ed. 7) VI. 800 A larger knob or button..sets the hand of the watch backward or forward as may be necessary. 1857C. Hoare Wine & Spirit Merchant's Guide 49 Set the length on the slide to 18.79 on D. 1879Man. Artill. Exerc. 116, No. 1 having set his scale replaces it in the gun. Ibid. 117 He first sets the tangent scale to the required deflection. 1883R. H. Scott Elem. Meteorol. 68 Just before setting the vernier.
b. Computers. To cause (a binary storage unit) to enter a prescribed state, spec. that representing 1. Also intr., to enter a prescribed state.
1948Electronics Apr. 127/1 The initial values can be set into the computer without too much time lag. 1957R. K. Richards Digital Computer Components & Circuits vi. 263 The real problem in devising a large-capacity storage system is not so much in the storage elements themselves as in providing means to gain access to any specified individual storage element for the purpose of sensing..or setting its status. 1968Maley & Heilweil Introd. Digital Computers vi. 82 The latch is simply a circuit whose output can be set to 1, or reset to 0, and it will remain at either one of these two values until another set or reset operation changes its value. 1971J. H. Smith Digital Logic i. 12 A binary divider is a modified toggle which has only one input. If electrical pulses are applied to this input the unit will ‘set’. The second pulse will ‘reset’ the circuit.
66. Bell-ringing. To ring (a bell) up till it stands still in an inverted position, either balanced or held by the stay and the slider. Also intr. of the bell.
1671Tintinnalogia 3 He is able to Set a Bell Fore-stroke and Back-stroke. 1688[see set change s.v. set ppl. a. 8]. 1733Campanologia in Encycl. Metrop. XV. 410 The first step he (the learner) makes in this art, is to learn perfectly to set a Bell, both back stroke and fore. [1788W. Jones, etc. Key to Art of Ringing (repr.) 9 note, As the first half-pull sets the bell up at back-stroke..; so the next half-pull brings her at hand or fore-stroke, which is the position we suppose her to have set off from.] 1860E. B. Denison Clocks & Watches (ed. 4) 420 A bell of about 52 cwt...which he and some other boys used to raise and set. 1871W. Wigram Change-ringing Disentangled 41 The learner should begin his practice on a bell when ‘set’. 1875Haweis in Encycl. Brit. III. 539/1 The first half-pull ‘drops’ the bell, the second ‘sets’ it.
67. a. To put (a liquid) in a vessel, at a certain temperature, strength, etc., ready to undergo a process; spec. in Cheese-making (see quot. 1861 and cf. set together, 153 c).
1736Bailey Dict. Domest. s.v. Cheese, The milk must be set to turn in two different vessels. 1789W. H. Marshall Glo'stersh. I. 275 The evening's meal is set for cream; and, being skimmed in the morning, is added to the morning's meal. Ibid. 297 The heat of the milk when set 83½°. 1852Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIII. i. 37 The churn should be set at 58° or 60°. 1861Ibid. XXII. i. 50 The temperature of the milk when it is ‘set’ (that is, when the rennet is added). 1875F. J. Bird Dyer's Hand-bk. 39 Run your cloth through a jigger, set with cutch at 4° Twaddle, temperature about 180° Fahr.
transf.a1861T. Woolner My Beautiful Lady, Wild Rose ii, And sets a crimson rose to bleach.
b. Baking and Brewing. To add barm or yeast to. to set the sponge: to leaven a mass of flour.
1743London & Countrey Brewer iv. (ed. 2) 329 This Servant..being obliged to set his Drink that Night. 1841Guide to Trade, Baker 41 The..journeyman..is occupied in carrying out bread till about half-past four, when he sets the sponge. 1844T. Webster Encycl. Dom. Econ. §4317 The sponge being thus set, cover the whole over with a cloth.
** To put in a certain order or arrange according to a plan.
†68.
a. To compose, write (a treatise, book). Obs.
c888ælfred Boeth. ii, Ða lioð..ic sceal nu..mid swiþe unᵹeradum wordum ᵹesettan. a950Guthlac (prose) Prol., For ðisum þingum ic ðas boc sette. c1000ælfric Hom. II. 576 Dauid ðurh ðone Halᵹan Gast ða sealmas sette. 1340Ayenb. 12 Þe uerste article ys þellich. ‘Ich beleue ine god þe uader almiȝti..’. Þis article zette saynte peter. a1400Launfal 4 Of a ley that was ysette, That hyght Launval. 1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 4 Whyche was in prose so well and compendiously sette and wreton.
†b. Contextually: To translate. Obs. (Cf. set out, 149 s, b.)
c888ælfred Boeth. Proem, Hwilum he sette word be worde, hwilum andᵹit of andᵹite. c1425Eng. Conq. Irel. 90 The forme of thay preuyleges..ne myght I nat comly setten yn Englyshe. 1601W. T. tr. Ld. Remy's Civ. Consid. 1st Ep. Ded., I attempted to set it out of French into our vulgar tongue.
†c. To arrange (words) in speech; to phrase, give a particular turn to. Obs.
c1400Beryn 3781 Geffrey set his wordis in such manere wise. 1484Caxton Fables of æsop ii. xii, Of a fewe wordes euyll sette cometh a grete noyse and daunger. 1530Palsgr. 714/2 Beware of hym, he can sette his wordes, I tell you.
†d. Astrol. = cast v. 39. Obs.
1570in Archæologia XL. 391 Bedo..desyred this examynate to cast a fygure for certen monny that was hydden..and upon his importunat sute this examynate sett a fygure.
†69. To settle or dispose of (land). Obs.
[971Blickl. Hom. 79, & þæt land ᵹesetton swa hie sylfe woldon.] c1205Lay. 24088 Arður hafde France and freoliche heo sette. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7780 Þo he adde iset is londes. c1320Sir Tristr. 903 Tvo ȝere he sett þat land, His lawes made he cri.
†70. To settle the arrangement of (an army) for battle. to set the field: see field n. 8 b. Obs.
c1205Lay. 27430 ælc king of his folke ȝarkede ferde. Þa hit al was iset & ferden isemed. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 432 Brut ordeinede is ost, and sette hom wisliche. c1420? Lydg. Assembly of Gods 634 The capyteyns..B[e]st to set hys felde and folow on the chase. 1502[see field n. 8 b]. 1573Whitehorne (title) Certaine Waies for the ordering of Souldiours in battelray, and setting of battailes. 1608Chapman Byron's Conspir. v. H 4, I am not hee that can set my Squadrons ouer-night [etc.].
71. a. To make (a table) ready for a meal, spread (a table) with food, etc. b. To lay (a meal).
c1386Chaucer Clerk's T. 975 She gan the hous to dighte, And tables for to sette. a1547in Fosbrooke Econ. Mon. Life (1796) 84 The bordes was divers times set. 1575Gamm. Gurton ii. i. 23 Was there none at home thy dinner for to set? 1700Dryden Ovid's Met. viii. Baucis 83 The good old Huse⁓wife, tucking up her Gown, The Table sets. 1794A. M. Bennett Ellen I. 21 He..declined partaking of the supper, which was setting on the table. 1861Temple Bar I. 343 Go and set the tea. 1884J. T. Trowbridge Farnell's Folly II. xxxvi. 101 You may as well set the table for two. 1890Universal Rev. Aug. 580 A table is set with refreshments.
c. To arrange the colours in the desired order on (a palette).
1847Man. Oil Painting 126 To set a palette is to arrange the tints and colours in their due order for service. 1866E. Yates Land at Last I. vii. 122 By the easel were a big palette already ‘set’, a colour-box, and a sheaf of brushes.
72. Printing. To place (type) in the order in which it is to be printed from; to compose, set up (type); hence, to put (manuscript) into type. Also absol.
1530Palsgr. 711/2 Your worke must nedes go forwarde, for I have foure that do nothyng else but set upon it. 1535Joye Apol. Tindale (Arb.) 20, I correked but the false copye wherby and aftir whyche the printer dyd sette his boke. 1609Tourneur Funeral Poem 428 As practis'd printers sette and distribute Their letters. 1637[see compose v. 7]. 1708in Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) II. 126 The third sheet..is set. 1830Miss Mitford Village Ser. iv. 241 The proprietor of the county newspaper, who keeps the advertisement of this matchless villa constantly set. 1864Daily Tel. 28 June, Next, to the composing-room, where I find about seventy men at work ‘setting’ small scraps of copy before them. 1892Leisure Hour Feb. 232/2 The type from which the journal is set. 1899Tit-Bits 8 Apr. 36/2 A good compositor can set 12,000 letters a day. 1964F. Bowers Bibliogr. & Textual Criticism vi. i. 161 The sole purpose of saving the printer the labour of setting from a difficult manuscript.
73. a. To put (words) to († in) music; to write (a musical composition) for certain voices or instruments. Also (less freq.) to put (music) to words, adapt (a melody) to, compose (a tune).
1502Privy Purse Exp. Eliz. York (1830) 2 For setting an Anthem of oure lady and Saint Elizabeth. Ibid. 83 Item to Cornishe for setting of a carralle upon Cristmas day. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 8 Exercisyng hym selfe daily..in settyng of songes, makyng of ballettes, & did set .ii. goodly masses, euery of them fyue partes. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 233 This Psalme..he made it also in metre, and set a note to it. 1600Nashe Summers Last Will D 2, He..setteth wanton songs vnto the Lute. 1607Chapman Bussy d'Ambois v. iii. 67 Consorts fit to sound forth harmony Set to the falls of kingdoms! 1645(title) Poems of Mr. John Milton... The songs were set in Musick by Mr. Henry Lawes. 1693Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) III. 134 A fine consort of musick, wherein the word Maria was soe sett it took up halfe an hour in singing. a1700Evelyn Diary 9 Aug. 1661, [He] plaied 9 or 10 tunes on the bells very finely, some of them set in parts. 1762Colman Mus. Lady ii. 19 Sophy. And you really think it is set prettily... Mask. Delightfully!..and sung — O heavens! 1774Storer in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) III. 77 An air set to the words of one of his own ballads. 1821Shelley Song iv, Let me set my mournful ditty To a merry measure. 1870Tennyson Window Pref., Sullivan..had been very successful in setting such old songs as ‘Orpheus with his lute’. 1891Sat. Rev. 14 Nov. 558/2 The poem is set for chorus and orchestra. 1965Listener 3 June 836/2 One does not make music ‘colloquial’ by using it to set colloquial words. 1966Bennett & Smithers Early M.E. Verse & Prose 108 The music to which it [sc. a lyric] is set clearly shows that the words were composed to fit the tune. 1970Oxf. Compan. Music (ed. 10) 498/1 The tunes set to these hymns were partly adaptations of the ancient plainsong, partly arrangements of folk song and partly original. 1979N.Y. Rev. Bks. 17 May 32/4 Byrd set this notorious poem to music, and the setting certainly did not escape notice.
b. fig.
1789Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 8 He sets his talk to a sounding tune. 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. x. (Rtldg.) 371 Get out of my sight, or I shall set your solfeggio in a crying key. 1862Tyndall Mountaineer. xi. 92 Clothing the crags with splendour, and setting the wind to melody. 1879Morley Burke x. 209 Burke's mind was not easily set to these tunes.
c. intr. To be capable of being put to music; to go (well) to music.
1697J. Lewis Mem. Dk. Glocester (1789) 82 He thought that they [the verses] would set very well to music.
74. trans. Theatr. To make up (a scene) on the stage; to arrange (an item of the scenery) in a particular way. Also to set the stage (also fig., to prepare the way or conditions for (an event, etc.)).
1779Sheridan Critic ii. i, Sir, the scene is set, and everything is ready to begin. 1889Mrs. E. Lynn Linton Thro' Long Night II. ii. ii. 4 He wanted to see how he should be received when the stage was not set nor were the lamps trimmed for his reception. 1890Harper's Mag. June 68/2 The palace of the Borgias was ‘set’ as a modern apothecary's shop. 1892Illustr. Lond. News 23 July 110/2 The time necessary for setting and changing scenes. 1937Discovery June 175/1 Given suitable conditions, the stage is always set for the transformation. 1972Review & Herald 7 Dec. 12/2 However, it is first necessary to ‘set the stage’. 1980Sci. Amer. Jan. 122/1, I can best set the stage for describing Morelli's instrument by reviewing the two basic types of spectroscope and spectrophotometer.
*** To give a required shape or form to.
75. a. To put an edge on (a cutting instrument, esp. a razor). Also to set the edge of. (Cf. 42.)
In first quot. app. fig. phr. to set upon the hone, to sharpen (a person) up.
1461Marg. Paston in P. Lett. II. 62 As for Wylliam Wyrcestyr, he hathe be set so up on the hone, what by the parson and by othyr,..that they hope he wole do well i now. 1562Withals Dict. 39 A stone to whette or sette the rasure with. 1667Wood Life (O.H.S.) II. 122 Setting a razor, 2d. 1680Moxon Mech. Exerc. x. 192 It is afterwards Set upon a round Whet-stone. 1687Dryden Hind & P. iii. 19 You have ground the persecuting knife, And set it to a razor edge on life. 1749Smollett Gil Blas ii. vii. (1782) I. 165 A case and two razors..with a thong of leather to set them. 1816Byron Parisina xv, The headsman..Feels if the axe be sharp and true Since he set its edge anew. 1868Bemrose Fret-Cutting 10 In ‘setting’ the tools, apply a few drops of sweet oil to the Arkansas stone. 1892Leisure Hour Apr. 387/1 Are my razors set yet?
b. fig. phr. to be sharp or keen set: to be hungry or keen. (See also sharp-set.)
1540Palsgr. Acolastus ii. iii. M ij, My mynd is al redy in the platters or dishes .i. I am sharpe set. 1606L. Bryskett Civ. Life 94 Being fed temperatly, our mindes may be the sharper set to fall to those other dainties. 1728Young Love of Fame ii. 120 As in smooth oil the razor best is whet, So wit is by politeness sharpest set. 1891‘L. Keith’ Halletts III. iv. 80 Her own appetite was keener set than usual. 1893F. C. Selous Trav. S.E. Africa 22, I knew she [a lioness] must be pretty keen set.
76. a. To adjust (the teeth of a saw) by deflecting them alternately in opposite directions so as to produce a kerf of the required width. Also to set a saw.
1678Moxon Mech. Exerc. v. 94 Then with the Saw wrest..they set the Teeth of the Saw. 1806J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (ed. 3) iv. 77 Having your impatience soothed by the setting of a saw, close at your ear. 1834–6Barlow in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 382 In sawing valuable timber the teeth are not turned out so much (or as the workmen term it, set so rank) as for coarse cheap stuff.
b. To adjust (the blade of a plane in relation to the sole) in order to vary the depth of cut.
1677J. Moxon Mech. Exerc. iv. 63 When you set the Iron of the Fore-Plain, consider the Stuff you are to work upon. 1857–9E. L. Tarbuck Encycl. Pract. Carpentry & Joinery i. iii. 26 The projection of the plane iron may be very nicely regulated, or set, rank, or fine, that is projecting from the face in a greater or less degree. 1938C. H. Hayward Carpentry Bk. i. 27 When a piece of wood with a difficult grain has to be planed, the back-iron is advanced and the plane set as fine as possible.
†77. To tune (an instrument). Obs.
1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 324 Orpheus setted & entuned his harpe. 1530Palsgr. 714/1, I set in tune, as mynstrelles do their instrumentes of musyke. 1590Barwick Disc. Weapons B 3, I doubt not..we shall haue a Cornelius to set these instruments in better tune.
78. † To tenter (cloth); to stretch (leather).
1473in Arnolde's Chron. (1811) 78 The fullyng teynteryng or settyng and sheryng of wullen cloth..teyntered sett and drawen out in lengeth and brede. 1884Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl. 797/1 To set a side of leather, it is spread upon the table when wet, and is smoothed out on it. 1897C. T. Davis Manuf. Leather (ed. 2) 217 It is well to have a tub of water by the side of the stuffing table, and dip in each side to soften it before proceeding to set the same.
79. To put (a broken or dislocated bone) in a position adapted to the restoration of the normal condition. Also intr. said of the bone.
1572in Gage Hengrave (1882) 192 To Adkyns of Bury, surgon for setting of ij dogges legs. a1586Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 114 b, Gynecia..had her shoulder put out of ioinct; which though..it was set well againe [etc.]. 1672Wiseman Wounds ii. 71 It was doubted, whether the Bone was Set or not. A Bone Setter was sent for. 1709Steele Tatler No. 41 ⁋7 The new Man has broke his Leg, which is so ill set, that he can never dance more. 1821Jefferson Autobiog. Writ. 1892 I. 100 A dislocated wrist, unsuccessfully set. 1887Encycl. Brit. XXII. 682/1 Accurate apposition is termed ‘setting the fracture’; this is best done by the extension of the limb and coaptation of the broken surfaces. 1891Field 14 Nov. 761/2 Dogs' bones soon set.
fig.a1591H. Smith Serm. (1592) 430 Pride doth breake the peace, humilitie doth set it againe. 1647Ward Simple Cobler 65 When a kingdome is broken just in the neck joynt,..ropes and hatchets are not the kindliest instruments to set it.
†80. To pleat (a ruff); to arrange the pleats of (a gown). Obs.
1530Palsgr. 710/2, I set a gowne, I put the playtes of it in order... I can nat sette a gowne, I was never no taylour. 1576Gascoigne Grief of Joy Wks. 1910 II. 534 They set their ruffes, thei ruffle up theire heare. 1597Bp. Hall Sat. iii. vii, His linnen collar Labyrinthian-set. 1611Cotgr., Godronner vne fraise, to set a ruffe.
81.
†a. To adjust (one's attire, the hair). Obs.
1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3206 Be nat proud of þy croket Yn þe cherche to tyfe and set. 1694Dryden Love Triumph. Ded., Combing his Peruke and setting his Cravat. 1695Congreve Love for L. v. i, He's at the great Glass in the Dining-Room,..setting his Cravat and Wig. 1712Pope Rape Lock i. 146 These set the head, and those divide the hair. [1722Steele Consc. Lovers i. ii, Such an Author consulted in a Morning, sets the Spirits for the Vicissitudes of the Day, better than the Glass does a Mans Person.]
b. To arrange and fix (the hair) when damp so that it dries in the desired style; occas., to fix a hair-style by other means.
1926Hairdressing 10 Sept. 241/1 This can only be done by superior work; namely, excellent setting of the finished permanent. 1932Mod. Woman Feb. 72/1 A perfectly easy method of keeping your hair perfectly waved, set and curled at home. 1957V. J. Kehoe Technique Film & Telev. Make-Up xv. 214 Hair lacquer or spray..is used for setting the hair in place after it has been dressed. 1967N. Freeling Strike out where not Applicable 10 Ash⁓blonde hair cut fairly short and set every week in Leiden. 1976C. Bermant Coming Home i. vii. 105 Her hair was always smartly set.
82. Weaving. To fix the texture of (a fabric). In first quot. pass., of a tartan: To have a pattern of a certain kind (cf. set n.1 15 b).
1685Depred. Clan Campbell (1816) 114 Item, ane new colored womans wearing plaid, most sett to boday red. Item, ane gray broken plaid, sett most to the green. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 1056 A thorough knowledge of the adaptation of yarn of a proper degree of fineness to any given measure of reed... The art of performing this properly is known by the names of examining, setting, or sleying. 1891Yorksh. Coll. Textile Soc. Jrnl. I. 129 By the sett of a fabric is meant the number of threads it contains in a given space. There are a great many things to be considered in setting any fabric.
83. To arrange (a butterfly, etc.) as an entomological specimen. (Cf. set up, 154 o.)
1868Rep. U.S. Commissioner Agric. (1869) 317 In setting long-legged specimens, a square piece of stiff paper or card should be pushed upon the pins under the insect. 1892Field 18 June 904/1 ‘Setting’ the insects, which means the spreading of specimens on blocks of cork or wood to dry.
84. To give the requisite adjustment, alignment, or shape to (a mechanical contrivance, an instrument, etc.). (Cf. set n.1 33.)
1879Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 413/2 The rough-maker..smoothes off all the sharp edges and ‘sets’ them, i.e., bends them into graceful and uniform shape over a block. 1881Burgess Coach-building 78 Setting axles is giving them the bend and slope required. 1886Walsingham & Payne-Gallwey Shooting (Badm. Libr.) I. 70 The next process is to ‘set’ or straighten the barrel inside. 1898Rider Haggard Farmer's Year (1899) 222 Being able to ‘set’ a wheel better than anyone about here.
**** To adjust according to a standard.
85. a. To regulate, adjust by a standard; esp. to put (a clock, etc.) right.
c1391Chaucer Astrol. ii. §3 To haue sette Iustly a clokke. 1640Suckling Let. to German Fragm. Aur. (1648) 92 In Court they..determine his [the king's] good by his desires: which is a kind of setting the Sun by the Diall. 1665Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xv. (1675) 254 A little Sun-Dyal, furnished with an excited Needle to direct how to set it. a1721Prior Ess., Opinion Wks. (1907) 196 Quare [a clock maker] does not set his Watch more actually than Mathar does his understanding. 1762Phil. Trans. LII. 579 The 16th, at noon, I sat a pendulum-clock..to solar time. 1772Foote Nabob i. (1778) 21 To set his watch by Tompion's clock in the Hall. 1844Hood Workhouse Clock 8 The Overseer of the Poor Is setting the Workhouse Clock. 1850Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XI. ii. 397 We watch vainly every cloud and in vain set our weather-glass. 1857Hughes Tom Brown i. iv, The Tally-ho [coach] was a tiptop goer..and so punctual that all the road set their clocks by her.
b. with immaterial obj.
1693Locke Educ. §14 (1699) 19 The Seasoning and Cookery which by Custom they [sc. our palates] are set to. 1693Prior To Montague iii, Pleas'd, when his Reason He deceives; And sets his Judgment by his Passion. 1717― Alma i. 88 He..sets men's faith by his opinions.
86. To fix the amount of (a fine or other payment), put down at a certain amount.
c1420in 26 Pol. Poems 76 And þou nylt ȝeue it [sc. love] me..; Sette pris to selle it. 1521Maldon (Essex) Liber B. 57 Truly affur and sett al maner of mercyaments made. 1525in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. iii. II. 24 To set his raunsom at a somme of money reasonable. 1531–2Act 23 Hen. VIII, c. 7 To set the prices of all kinde of wynes. 1653H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xx. 71 He payd for all that he bought at the price the sellers would set. 1691Locke Consid. Lower. Interest Wks. 1714 II. 5 That Law cannot keep Men from taking more Use than you set. Ibid., The Rate you set, profits not the Lenders, and very few of the Borrowers. 1770Langhorne Plutarch, Cicero ⁋13 Verres being thus condemned, Cicero set his fine at 750,000 drachmæ. 1980M. Boddy Building Societies iv. 46 The composite rate [of tax paid by building societies] was set at 79·3 per cent of the basic rate (then 35 per cent), i.e. 27·75 per cent.
VII. To place mentally; to suppose, estimate.
†87. To posit, assume, suppose. Phr. set the case (see case n.1 12), chiefly in imper. or pres. pple. as equivalent to a conj. = suppose, supposing.
a1340Hampole Psalter xxii. 4 Gret vertu is in man when he dredis na ill þat may fall for he settis þe werst. c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 367, I sette þe worste þat ye dredden þis Men wolden wondren to se hym come or gon. c1386― Melib. ⁋525 Yet sette I caas, ye have bothe might and licence for to venge yow. 1387–8T. Usk Test. Love i. ix. (Skeat) 64, I sette now the hardest. c1440[see case n.1 12] 1561T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer iv. (1577) X ij, Setting case therefore this be so. 1632Holland Cyrupædia 129 Set case..that a man should make so much of those dogs which you keepe. 1659Bunyan Law & Grace Unfolded (1685) 286 Set the case that there be two men who make a covenant. 1726G. Shelvocke Voy. round World Pref. 10 Setting the case I had not their interest at heart, yet it was for my interest to support theirs.
88. a. To place mentally or conceptually in a certain category; † to regard as being (so-and-so); to consider (a thing) to reside in or to depend on (another); † to attribute to.
13..E.E. Allit. P. A. 8 Quere-so-euer I Iugged gemmez gaye, I sette hyr sengely in synglure. 1375Barbour Bruce xvii. 826 That wes mar To myrakill of god almychty; And to nocht ellis it set can I. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 81 Hircanus, for he was ȝong, was i-sette laste of þe wise men. c1400Beryn 1278 Allas! þat ever a man shuld..Setten al his wisdom on his wyvis tayll! 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. v, This noble man, That in him-self the full recouer wan Off his Infortune, pouert, and distresse, And in tham set his verray sekernesse. 1549Compl. Scot. xvi. 141 Euerye man settis his felicite to distroy his nychtbour. 1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes day Wks. 1910 II. 240 He alwayes setteth his end in thinges which he must have. 1604E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies i. xiv. 46 They set Tharsis in Affrike, saying, it was the same Citie which was anciently called Carthage. 1685Stillingfl. Orig. Brit. iv. 209 The want of skill may make Caradoc set his Gildas elder than he ought to have done. 1870Rogers Hist. Glean. Ser. ii. 21 Tradition sets Wiklif's birth in the year 1324.
b. To place (a person or thing) before or after another in estimation. Now poet.
c1383in Eng. Hist. Rev. Oct. (1911) 747 Religiouse possessioneris..shulden sette before [preferrent] þe comaundementis of god. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 99 Þat þe manere and þe usage of al holy chirche of Grees, of Italy, of Rome, of Gallia, and of Fraunce, schulde be i-sette to⁓fȯre þe manere and custom..of a corner of þe worlde. c1400Rule St. Benet (Verse) 2475 So þat þai set non erthly þing Be-for þe luf of crist. 1592Hues Treat. Globes Pref. (Hakl.) 16 These Globes..may justly bee preferred before all other that have been set before them. 1648Milton Sonn. xiii. 12 Dante shall give Fame leave to set thee higher Then his Casella. 1671― Samson 1375 Venturing to displease God for the fear of Man, and Man prefer, Set God behind. 1732Pope Ep. Cobham 148 And justly set the Gem above the Flow'r.
89. a. To fix the value of (a thing) at so much. Obs. or arch.
Cf. the reverse construction in sense 43.
c1460Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. x. (1885) 131 That [sc. salt] is now sett to so grete prise, þat the bushell, wich the kyng bieth ffor iijd or iiijd, is solde to his peple ffor ijs and a jd. 1530Palsgr. 712/1, I sette my horse at foure pounde..How moche set you his plate at? 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. xxvi. 145 [The women] beyng once set at a price none could marry them, except they first payde the pryce. 1616R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 104 Yf the Hollanders set pepper at that rate, they sell other comodetis at a hier. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 34 At the times of the faires, Coaches are set dearer then any time els. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables clxx. 142 Well..and what's the Price of that Juno there? The Carver set That a little Higher. 1713Pope Let. to Swift 8 Dec., I cannot set his delivery from purgatory at less than fifty pounds sterling.
fig.1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. v. iii. 301 There shall no figure at that Rate be set, As that of true and faithful Juliet. 1602― Ham. i. iii. 122 Set your entreatments at a higher rate, Then a command to parley. 1648–9Eikon Bas. xvii. 170 Setting Peace at as high a rate, as the worst effects of War.
b. Hence in idiomatic phr. connoting disesteem or depreciation: to set at naught or nought (see nought A. 6), set at little, set at the least, set at nothing; to set at a pease, set at a pie's heel, set at a pin's fee; to set at no price, store, or value.
1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3013 And he þat ys vnbuxum al Aȝens hys fadyr spiritual, And setteþ hym ryȝt at þe leste. Ibid. 7774 Þe mayster fend..sette at noȝt þat he hadde tolde. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B vi. 171 Lete liȝte of þe lawe..And sette Pieres at a pees. Ibid. vii. 194, I sette ȝoure patentes..at one pies hele! c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 602 Al the worlde he sette at noo value. 1413in 26 Pol. Poems 51 Þouȝ all here gold were hider brouȝt, I wolde set hit at lytel store. c1450tr. De Imitatione iii. xi, To sette all þinges at no price for þe. 1488Rolls of Parlt. VI. 413/2 Unreverently sette theym at litill or nought. 1596Spenser F.Q. vii. vi. 44 Shee had..Long loved the Fanchin, who by nought did set her. 1602Shakes. Ham. i. iv. 67, I doe not set my life at a pins fee. 1649Earl of Monmouth tr. Senauit's Use Passions (1671) 203 He then sets at nothing what he so much esteemed. 1874Stubbs Const. Hist. I. viii. 238 Canonical custom is set at naught.
†c. to set light, set at light (see light a.1 13 d), set lightly, set coldly. (Cf. 91 e, f.)
1602Shakes. Ham. iv. iii. 65 Thou maist not coldly set Our Soueraigne Processe. 1652Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. 149 Wee'll not disgrace your Realm, nor lightly set Your Fame. 1718F. Hutchinson Witchcraft vii. 104 He set them light [ed. 1720 set them at light].
d. To estimate the amount of at so much.
1863Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXIV. i. 21 The yearly increase..is set at about 8s. per acre. 1866Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxiii. 599 We cannot set the increase at less than 100 per cent.
90. To assess (a person) at so much. Obs. or arch.
1521Maldon (Essex) Liber B. 57 Set every man after the quantyte of the trespace. c1537in Leadam Sel. Cases Crt. Requests (Selden Soc.) 47 Like as all other brethern of the seid felaweship were and be set at. 1538Elyot Dict. Add., Duicensus, he that is sette with an other to pay money for a taxe. 1557in Marwick Edinb. Guilds (1909) 89 Prouyding always thai pay the sowmes to the quhilk thai were sett. 1607in W. H. Hale Prec. in Causes of Office (1841) 9 And so shall sett every parishoner proportionably. 1611Bible 2 Kings xii. 4 The money that every man is set at. 1831Macaulay Ess., Hampden (1843) I. 453 The sheriff was blamed for setting so wealthy a man at so low a rate.
91. To have (a certain estimate) of a person or thing: in idiomatic phrases expressing high or low regard, great or little esteem, for a person or thing.
Here the construction is the reverse of that of 93 b.
a. to set (so) little (or † lite), (so) much (or mickle, a great deal), less, least, more, most by. Obs. exc. arch. or dial.
Originally substantival or pronominal, little, much, etc. were capable of being taken as adverbial; whence the substitution of adverbs of equivalent meaning (see f).
a1300[see little B. 3]. c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 432, I se ful wel þat ye sette lite of vs Or of oure deth. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 109 Þey sette more by here lawes..þan þey dude by þe lawe þat God ȝaf to hem. c1380Antecrist in Todd Three Treat. Wyclif (1851) 151 And more þei shal be sett by and wurshiped. 14..Why I can't be a Nun 220 in E.E.P. (1862) 144 But alle..set not by her nether most ne lest. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 33 Tynsale of the body..that is lytill to sett by. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 74 Howe moche the Persians..set by shotinge. 1627Drayton Agincourt 4 What set that Conqueror, by their Salique Lawes. 1664–5Pepys Diary 9 Mar., He did..give me one of Lilly's grammars..which I shall much set by. 1690C. Nesse Hist. & Myst. O. & N. Test. I. 23 A pretious soul was no more set-by by them. 1741Richardson Pamela II. 173 He was sure I should set more by it, than the richest Diamond in the World. 1785B. Tupper in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853) IV. 118 A visit, which I shall set more by than the interest I possess in Massachusetts. 1845S. Judd Margaret ii. i. (1874) 190 God knows how hard it is to help setting a good deal by one's children. 1894Advance (Chicago) 5 Apr., A man much set-by.
†b. to set naught or nought (nothing, not anything) by: to have no esteem or regard for. Obs.
c1375Cursor M. 23860 (Fairf.) In hert to halde hit as a horde & noȝt to sette be goddis worde [Cott. Quen noght es mad o crists word]. 1390Gower Conf. III. 348 Bot noght forthi Mi will hath nothing set therby. 1470–85Malory Arthur viii. xxxviii. 331 By the myghty lord of this yle he setteth nought by. 1483Caxton G. de la Tour e j b, Mocked & scorned & nought set by. 1535Coverdale John iv. 44 A prophet is nothinge set by at home. 1549―, etc. Erasm. Par. Heb. xii. 1–6 By despisyng and settyng naught by worldly reproche. 1598R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. i. v. 8 The souldyers..set nought by all military discipline. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. v. i. 194, I thinke you set nothing by a bloody Coxecombe.
absol.1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 14 And suppos it be sum part subtile to understand, settis nocht by.
c. By substitution of not for nought, and by extension of the idiom to negative expressions generally, set by came to be equivalent to ‘esteem, regard’, and, by elimination of the negative, to ‘esteem or value highly, think or make much of’. Obs. exc. arch. or dial.
Formerly to set not by sometimes = to have no scruples about.
1393Langl. P. Pl. C. x. 302 Men setten nat by songewarie. a1400Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 692/10 Now is þe selue I-set not by. c1400Rule St. Benet (Verse) 459 Þai wil set bi no man saw. 1426Audelay Poems 3 Avoutré ne lechory men set not by. c1435Torr. Portugal 1152 The kyng of Aragon sett her bye. 1467Marg. Paston in P. Lett. II. 308 Thei set not be a woman as thei shuld set be a man. c1480Henryson Mor. Fab., Fox, Wolf & Cadger 1998 (Charteris MS.) To beir ȝour office than wald I not set by. 1508Dunbar Flyting 238 Quhat man settis by the! 1513Douglas æneis xi. iv. 98 Onlesum war syk plesour I set by. 1561T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer i. H ij b, They do not onelye not sett by letters, but they rather abhorre them. a1659Bp. Brownrig Serm. (1674) I. iv. 57 Men set by good servants. a1661Fuller Worthies, N'hants (1662) ii. 291 Set by and extolled. 1663–4Pepys Diary 20 Jan., Mr Pierce tells me that my Lady Castlemaine is not at all set by by the King. 1848Lowell Biglow P. Ser. i. ix, Wite folks aint sot by half ez much.
d. to set (no, more, etc.) store or † price by: see price n. A. α, B. 8, store n.
†e. to set light by see light a. 13 d. Also to set short by. Obs.
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 2 Scripture scorned me..and liȝte by me she sette. Ibid. xii. 124 No clergie to dispise, Ne sette schort be here science. c1460Wisdom 927 in Macro Plays 66 Why werkyst þou hys consell? by myn settis lyght? 1565T. Stapleton Fortr. Faith 129 Such smal matters were not of good Christians light sett by. 1594–1771 [see light a. 13 d]. 1633Marmion Fine Comp. iii. v. F 3, She set as light by me, as by the least feather in her Fanne. 1816Scott Old Mort. xxxix, I am a fool..to set light by that which Heaven has so often preserved.
† f. to set † greatly, † littly, lightly, † so, etc. by. Obs.
1530Palsgr. 713/1 The man is hyghely sette by in our countraye. 1537Orig. & Sprynge of Sectes 28 Hitherto haue they ben in estimacion & greatly set by. 1577T. Kendall Flowers of Epigr. 30 No man that setts so by hym self, can please the Lorde a right. 1612T. Taylor Comm. Titus To Rdr., Things lightly come by are lightly set by. 1729Bp. Butler Serm. xv. (1862) 209 That in all lowliness of mind we set lightly by ourselves. 1809–10Coleridge Friend (1818) I. 104 To set lightly by the emancipation of the human reason.
g. In negative context, with a n. as obj. connoting a negligible or contemptible quantity.
to set not a cherry, curse, a fly, a haw, a mite, an onion (etc.) at, by, † of: see also the ns.
c1374Chaucer Troylus iii. 900, I nolde setten at his sorwe a myte. c1386― Miller's T. 648 Of paramours he sette nat a kers. 1406Hoccleve La Male Regle 380 For by hem two, he settith nat an hawe. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xix. 442, I shall not sette a rotyn appull for all the power of Charlemagne. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xxxi. 22 Lat ws..sett nocht by this warld a chirry. a1525Vergilius in Thoms Prose Rom. (Rtldg.) 223 The roffyans set nat a poynt. c1570W. Wager The Longer thou livest 1691 (Brandl), By honest men he setteth not an Oynion.
h. In various constructions, with preps. other than by.
† to set little, more, nought, not, of; to set a (great, little) price, † rate, store upon; to set no price, set littly at; † to set light of, before; † to set little, nought to; etc.
1387–8T. Usk Test. Love i. i. (Skeat) 67 How shulde ye, lady, sette prise on so foule fylthe. 1390Gower Conf. II. 211, I sette noght of his beyete. c1400Beryn 1386 Sith he of my wordis so litil prise set. Ibid. 2838 To save hir lyvis, & set nat of hir los. c1400Sowdone Bab. 1717 Set not of youre Barons so light. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. ix. 139 Men that lytill bethe sette of. Ibid. xix. 146 Men sholde sette lytillie at this goodis. 1470–85Malory Arthur v. ii. 162 Of his demaunde and commaundement I sette nothyng. 1481Caxton Myrr. i. v. 18 They setted not of mete and drynke. 1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xix. (Arb.) 239 We set but light of the matter. 1601Holland Pliny xxxiii. xii. II. 483 Disdaining and setting light by any other bathing-vessels. 1607–12Bacon Ess., Riches (Arb.) 232 Doe you not see what fayned prices are sett vpponn litle stones, and rarityes. 1632Lithgow Trav. Ep. Ded. A 3 b, What a high Value was set upon the Widdowes Mite. 1638[see rate n.1 2]. 1642[see light a. 13 d]. 1651Hobbes Leviath. i. x. 42 By comparison to the rate that each man setteth on himselfe. 1662[see price n. 8]. 1688Lett. conc. Pres. St. Italy 79 Nor would it have been set on so much by their Holy Patriarchs. 1819Scott Ivanhoe xxx, Where be these dog-priests now,..who set such price on their ghostly mummery. 1861Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xx. 396 The grounds upon which so great store has ever been set upon colonial possessions. 1875Manning Mission Holy Ghost iv. 105 They are continually showing that they set small price on the Eternal God. 1891F. W. Robinson Her Love & His Life III. vii. iv. 262 He did not set any value on his own life.
†i. To care (so much) for. Also intr. (Not) to care for. Obs.
c1374Chaucer Troylus iii. 832 Yf to lose his Ioye he set a myte Than semeth it þat Ioye is worth but lyte. c1400Destr. Troy 5002 Yf þou set noght our saghe. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 233 Ane unworthy lymmare, that settis nocht for honour bot for pillery.
VIII. To put or come into a settled or rigid position or state.
92. a. pass. To be resolved or determined; to have a settled purpose. Chiefly const. inf. Now usu. in sense ‘likely, about (to)’. Also, in Journalese, const. for followed by n.
a1300Cursor M. 17332 Mi-self es sett to wrek þe wrang. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxxvii. (Vincencius) 403 [S. Vincent] til ples god wes mar sete, Þane ocht þat wes in þe markete. c1420Liber Cocorum (1862) 42 Þerfore to telle you I am set,..what herbz..Ben gode to potage. c1470Henry Wallace iii. 324 Thai are set till wndo all thi kyn. 1525Abp. Warham in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. iii. II. 10 Seeing almoste al the people obstinatly sett not to graunte to the request. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus i. iii. F iv b, I am at a poynte, or my mynde is fully sette. a1586Sidney Arcadia iii. (Sommer) 261 b, But my hart is already set.. to lead a virgins life to my death. a1641Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 256 She was wayward, disdainful, and set to contradict. 1757in J. Russell Haigs (1881) xii. 359 All your neighbours are sett to be upon you. 1827Keble Chr. Yr., Morning 30 If on our daily course our mind Be set to hallow all we find. 1890Harper's Mag. Aug. 407/2 Mamma was completely set in her own mind that we must go to the south. 1976Daily Tel. 30 Nov. 1/6 Electricity prices are set to go up again on New Year's Day. 1978Sunday Tel. 10 Dec. 1 (heading) Callaghan set for showdown with Benn. 1979Daily Tel. 28 Feb. 2/6 The Inner City partnerships outside London seem set for increases above the average. 1982Times 16 Oct. 9/6 The armchair moralists of Academe..are now set to carp about the sinking of the Belgrano.
†b. intr. To resolve. Obs.
1638Earl of Manchester in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 280 The King hath set to be at Hinchenbrook to bed the 27th of March. 1674N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 161 Could not God then make the world, when he set with himself that he would do it?
c. trans. To make (a resolution). rare.
1771Wesley Wks. (1872) V. 100 If he does but once set a resolution.
93. a. pass. To have one's mind or will fixed upon something.
1390Gower Conf. I. 301 He was upon pacience So sett. c1400Balade of Pite 100, I am sette on yowe in suche manere Þat..I moste you loue. c1400Rom. Rose 4829 They are so sette Vpon delite to pley in feere. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xviii. 25 If she be..so obstinate, and so precisely set vpon her owne will. 1671Milton Samson 1201 When I perceiv'd all set on enmity. 1740Richardson Pamela (1824) I. xxxi. 50, I am so set upon it, that I am not to be persuaded. 1890Universal Rev. Mar. 457 Cap'n Prust's as set as never was on little Dot. 1893Chamb. Jrnl. 28 Jan. 58/2 Isabell is always set on the news.
†b. To have a specified disposition or inclination to be (so) disposed. Obs.
1470–85Malory Arthur x. lxxxviii. 570 Whanne syre launcelot wyste how his kynnesmen were sette. c1500Cocke Lorelles Bote 1 She is as softe as a lamme yf one do her meue, And lyke to y⊇ deuyll wan a man dothe her greue, So well is she sette. 1513Douglas æneis ii. ix. 58 Bot he..was nocht to Priame sa hard set. a1670Spalding Troub. Chas. I (Bannatyne Club) I. 103 The commissioners told how the marquess and burgh of Aberdeen were peaceably sett. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 598 Were he ever so wickedly set.
c. Psychol. To predispose (a person or other organism) to a given response; usu. pass. Also intr. for pass. Cf. set n.1 12.
1909Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. XX. 569 The psychophysical organism ‘sets’ to meet an imminent situation; and on the conscious side, this ‘set’ is expectation. 1938Mind XLVII. 88 An observer in an experiment is said to be set towards an aspect of a situation if he is directed to it by the instructions. 1961Lindgren & Byrne Psychol. vi. 143/2 Alterations in our familiar surroundings are often missed because we are ‘set’ to perceive certain stimuli.
94. a. to set one's or the face (countenance): to give a fixed or settled expression to the countenance.
† to set a face: to make it appear (as though..). to set one's face as a flint, after Isaiah l. 7.
1560Bible (Genev.) Isa. l. 7 Therefore haue I set my face like a flint. 1564–5Buggbears i. ii. 154 Formosus set a face as thoughe he knew wher to find a cunnyng mane. a1586Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 212 When she set her countenaunce to tell the matter. c1610B. Jonson, etc. Widow v. i, Set your countenance then; for here he comes. 1635T. Cranley Amanda 9 She would..sometimes set her countenance as if shee had bin angry. 1719D'Urfey Pills I. 353 Set thy Face, and thy best Curchy make. 1855Tennyson Maud i. i. 31, I..May make my heart as a millstone, set my face as a flint.
b. pass. and intr. (and refl.) Of the eyes, the features, the countenance: To have or assume a fixed look or expression.
1601Shakes. Twel. N. v. i. 205 O he's drunke..an houre agone: his eyes were set at eight i' the morning. 1611Bible 1 Kings xiv. 4 But Ahiiah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age. 1717Garth tr. Ovid's Met. xiv. Iphis 45 Set are her eyes and motionless her limbs. 1861Geo. Eliot Silas M. i, He saw that Marner's eyes were set like a dead man's. 1865Swinburne Chastelard v. iii. 214 His face set, The eyes not curious to the right or left And reading in a book. 1880Mrs. J. H. Riddell Palace Gardens ix, The lines in his face set and hardened. 1881P. Greg Ivy III. iii. 68 Her face sets as it used against your mother. 1884‘Rita’ My Lord Conceit I. i. v. 72 A face set in stern, rigid lines. 1888G. Gissing Life's Morning III. xxii. 210 Her features had set themselves in sorrow. 1898G. B. Shaw You never can tell iv. Stage dir., His face set and sulky.
95. a. To press (the teeth, lips) together into a rigid position; to clench (the teeth), compress (the lips, mouth).
Phr. to set one's teeth: see tooth.
1602Marston Antonio's Rev. v. iii, Another frets, and sets his grinding teeth. 1702C. Mather Magn. Chr. vi. vii. 73 They were sometimes hindred from eating their Meals, by having their Teeth set. 1853Kingsley Hypatia xxiv, The old woman set her lips firmly, and drew her dagger. 1860G. J. Whyte-Melville Mkt. Harb. xxii, ‘I think not!’ replied Mr. Sawyer, setting his teeth for a catastrophe. 1867‘Ouida’ Cecil Castlemaine, etc. 263 His mouth sternly set, and his forehead paler and more severe than ever. 1886Stevenson Kidnapped xxii, Each set his mouth and kept his eyes in front of him.
b. refl. and intr. Of the mouth, or the teeth.
1626Bacon Sylva §714 [This] maketh the teeth to set hard one against another. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 191 My Teeth..would..set against one another so strong, that for some Time I could not part them again. 1883M. E. Mann Parish of Hilby xix, Helen's mouth set itself firmly as she thought of it.
c. pass. and intr. Of muscles, or the like: To have or assume a rigid attitude or state. Also spec. of an athlete poised to start a race. In wider use: to be prepared for action; to be ready (to do something). Freq. in phr. (to be) all set. Cf. on your mark(s), (get set, go) s.v. mark n.1 12 e.
1844J. Gregg Commerce of Prairies I. 51 Each teamster vies with his fellow..and it is a matter of boastful pride to be the first to cry out—‘All's set!’ 1851H. Stephens Bk. Farm (ed. 2) II. 174/2 The hams should not be too full of flesh, lyary, which in a young animal indicates that the carcass will soon set from growing. 1862Tyndall Mountaineer. vi. 53 The muscles have become set, and some minutes are necessary to render them again elastic. 1868Rep. U.S. Commissioner Agric. (1869) 313 Butterflies generally set in one or two weeks. 1882W. A. Baillie-Grohman Camps in Rockies i. 3 ‘All set!’ echoes from each of the horsemen in front. 1893Outing XXII. 154/1 At the words ‘Get set!’ the arms are raised, the knees slightly bent, and..the starter braces his legs apart. 1913[see crouch n.2 b]. 1930Amer. Speech VI. 120 Set for big bout. 1935Encycl. Sports 580/1 At the words ‘Get set’ you should let the weight come forward on to the finger tips and the leading foot, raising the left knee but lowering the back and head. 1949N. Marsh Swing, Brother, Swing v. 84 All set, boys? Let's go. 1956A. H. Compton Atomic Quest iii. 162 The du Pont Company was getting set to build the plutonium production plant. 1957Duncan & Bone Oxf. Pocket Bk. Athletic Training (ed. 2) v. 62 On the command ‘set’ the body rises up smoothly with the body-weight on the hands and front foot. 1962J. Heller Catch-22 vi. 51 Just when I was all set to really start stashing it away, they had to manufacture fascism and start a war. 1979Daily Tel. 26 Feb. 21/4 National Westminster is set to produce full year figures tomorrow.
d. intr. To become bent or twisted as a result of strain. (Cf. set n.1 16.)
1798Phil. Trans. LXXXVIII. 485 If a wire is twisted only a little more than its elasticity admits of, then, instead of setting, as it is called, or acquiring a permanent twist all at once, it sets gradually. c1865J. Wylde's Circ. Sci. I. 404/1 The scales will have a tendency to ‘set’ when over⁓loaded.
†e. trans. To stick up, cock. Obs. rare.
1708Lond. Gaz. No. 4428/16 Stollen.., a Bay Nag..sets his Head and Tail.
96. Dyeing.
a. To prepare (woad) for dyeing.
1529Cov. Leet Bk. 697 To occupie the Craft of dying and settyng of wadd. 1590West Symbol. §82 Euery set of the same woad shall make, when it is set and prooued, fower pound sterling. 1811Self Instructor 535 Wood-wax..is set with pot ashes.
b. To make (a colour) fast or permanent.
1601Holland Pliny xxii. ii. II. 115 To set all other colours that can bee devised, with the juice onely of certaine hearbs. 1882Crookes Dyeing 15 The brown colouring matter of the flax instead of being removed is fastened, or as it is technically called, ‘set’.
97. a. To cause to become firm, hard, or rigid in consistency; to curdle, coagulate (milk, etc.).
1736Bailey Dict. Domest. s.v. Cheese, While this rennet is fresh, one spoonful of the liquor will turn or set about 16, 18 or 20 gallons of milk. Ibid., When you would turn or set milk for cheese. 1784Twamley Dairying Exempl. 102 Boiling Water..will set the Curd in some degree, and fix it hard. 1855Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XVI. i. 135 If you clay heavily..you must muck heavily, or you will set the land. 1875Knight Dict. Mech. 2286/1 [He] uses golden sulphuret of antimony and sets the rubber by vulcanizing it. 1974M. Lindlaw Super Sweets & Puddings 9 To set jelly quickly. Dissolve the jelly tablet in 1/4 pint (1½ dl) hot water, then make up to 1 pint (6 dl) with cold water or ice cubes. Stir until on the point of setting.
b. pass.
1791Smeaton Edystone L. §168 Dutch Tarras,..which, after being once set, would afterwards become hard, without ever being compleatly dry. Ibid. note, [Set], the term used in the application of calcareous mortar, which denotes its first step, or degree of hardening. 1839Chatto & Jackson Wood Engraving 723 Recent impressions of a wood-cut, before the ink is set. 1846Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VII. ii. 493 The skin was set, that is, it would not easily rub off. 1879Cassell's Techn. Educ. III. 99 When the film is just set enough to bear a light touch, without receiving any impression of the finger.
c. intr. To become firm or solid in consistency; (of milk) to curdle or turn; (of mortar, etc.) to solidify.
1736Bailey Dict. Domest. s.v. Cheese, When it [milk] sets or turns to curd very quick. 1776Semple Building in Water 79 The out-side Mortar..set, that is, grew hard immediately. 1837J. T. Smith tr. Vicat's Mortars 9 We say that a lime has set, when it bears without depression a knitting-needle of 0.12 cent...diameter, filed square at its extremity, and loaded with a weight of 0.30 kil. 1839Hansard Print. & Type-founding (1841) 151 When the varnish has had time to set. 1842Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. III. i. 16 The soil..is rather sticky when wet, and sets hard when dry. 1860Piesse Lab. Chem. Wonders 168 Silver ‘sets’ before the lead. 1883Standard 17 May 2/2 Nor shall we permit the meat to hang, to ‘set’ over the reeking fumes of the killing chamber. 1886J. Blandy Baker's Guide 51 A certain sort of loaf, put into the oven without touching, ‘set crusty’, as the baker would say. 1963D. Seton Essent. Mod. Cookery 151 The sugar is very important in jam-making. If too much or too little is used, the jam will not set. 1973Cooking for Today (Good Housekeeping) 264/4 Pour one third of this jelly into a picnic jelly mould and put in a cool place to set.
d. Of cream: To collect and settle on the top of the milk.
1859Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XX. i. 53 The milk..is..left until the cream has set.
98. a. To cause (fruit) to form on a tree by the process of fertilization; to cause (a flower) to develop into fruit: said of bees, etc. and (also absol.) of the tree bearing the fruit.
1693Evelyn De La Quint. Compl. Gard. Dict. s.v. Bud, Well Budded or well set Trees; is said of those Fruit-Trees, that have abundance of Fruit Buds. 1721Bradley Philos. Acc. Wks. Nat. 25 Concerning the Generation of Plants, and the manner of setting their Fruits. 1729Langley Pomona 77 Our Fruits being plentifully set. a1793G. White Selborne, Obs. on Veget. (1836) 301 When they [bees] are once induced to haunt the frames, they set all the fruit. 1877Darwin Forms of Flowers i. 28 Flowers legitimately fertilised set seeds under conditions which cause the almost complete failure of illegitimately fertilised flowers. 1892E. P. Dixon's (Hull) Seed Catal. 18 It is a robust grower and sets very freely. 1893Field 8 Apr. 530/1 The plant..‘sets’ a larger proportion of the flowers.
b. intr. Of blossom or fruit: To develop as the result of fertilization. Also said of hemp fibre.
1718J. Lawrence Fruit-Gard. Cal. 53 This Blossom Set, and produced me a Peach. 1779Phil. Trans. LXX. 475 February was so mild and fine that the wall-fruit flowered..and set much fuller, than the apples, which were two months later. 1849Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. X. i. 177 The fibre has not set, nor has the male stem shed its pollen. 1854H. Miller Sch. & Schm. (1858) 561 To mark how very few of the blossoms have set. 1891Field 24 Oct. 634/1 About a dozen fruit set, of which six ripened.
c. Of a plant: to set to seed = seed v. 1.
1897Willis Man. Flowering Pl. II. 234 Moneywort..is said never to set to seed in Brit[ain].
99. Plastering. To put a finishing coat on. (See set n.1 30 a.)
1693Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 249 They finish the Plastering when it is almost dry,..setting it, that is to say, Trowelling and brishing it. 1812P. Nicholson Mech. Exerc. 309 (Plastering) Lath Floated and Set Fair. These words bear the same meaning as lath pricked-up and floated and set. 1847Smeaton Builder's Man. 128 Render, float, and set, is three-coat work. 1874J. Birch Country Archit. 44 Lath, plaster, float, set and twice whiten all ceilings throughout.
100. a. Sheep-breeding. To settle or establish (a particular stock).
1782Marshall Norfolk (1795) II. 321 Bought by those who are increasing, or ‘setting’ a ewe stock. 1807A. Young Agric. Essex II. 334 His flock has been 1140 breeding ewes; and at this Michælmas (1805) he setts 2000. a1819Rees Cycl. XXXII, Setting, a term used in sheep-management, which signifies the picking, choosing, and selecting those which are the best formed..for the purpose of breeding, forming the flock, and keeping as stock. Ibid., Setting Lamb-Stock. 1847Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VIII. i. 17 In setting the flocks particular attention is paid to size, wool, strength of constitution.
b. intr. Of a period of time or weather: To become settled; = set in, 146 e. (Cf. set ppl. a. 6 c.)
a1800Gil Brenton vi. in Child Ballads I. 74 Till the evening set and birds they sang. 1880Antrim & Down Gloss. s.v., ‘The night is set’..night has come on. 1892Zangwill Bow Myst. 98 It's set wet, it'll rain right into the new year. 1894Harper's Mag. Feb. 359/1 The night set very cold.
c. Cricket. (pass.) To have become accustomed to the bowling.
1865Lillywhite's Cricketers' Comp. 127 As a bat he is deficient in defence, though a punishing hitter when once set. 1882Daily Tel. 19 May, The Colonials were firmly set, and the runs came fast.
101. To settle the growth of (a plant) in the right way.
1845Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. V. ii. 339 Where the clover is not well set. 1864Ibid. XXV. ii. 275 Wheat is rolled..in spring, to set the young plant.
102. To check; to puzzle, nonplus, ‘stump’; to tax the resources of. Now north. dial.
1586Hooker Irish Hist. 87/2 in Holinshed, At this answer Meth was set. 1601Holland Pliny ii. xii. I. 9 The silie mind of men was before sett and to seeke. 1633G. Herbert Temple, Ch. Mil. 51 Learning was pos'd, Philosophie was set. 1737Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 164 Standing..will make them [feet] grow so hard,.. that it will set the Smith to drive a Nail in shoeing. c1746J. Collier (Tim Bobbin) View Lanc. Dial. Misc. Wks. (1775) 62, I wur warr set to get eawt (if possible) in e wur when Nip an me feel off the Bridge. 1819Pantalogia s.v. Cart-horse, Four thorough-shaped horses will draw, with facility, a weight which would set five ordinary ones.
103. Dancing. (intr.) To take up a position and perform a number of steps with one's face to one's partner or to the dancer on one's right or left. Chiefly in set to partners, set to corners (also set corners).
1652Dancing Master Expl. Charac., Set and turn single, is a single to one hand, and a single to the other, and turn single. Ibid. 1 Sides all, set and turn S. Ibid. 72 Meet all, back again, set to your own, and to the next. 1711Budgell Spect. No. 67 ⁋9 A..Step called Setting, which I know not how to describe to you, but by telling you that it is the very reverse of Back to Back. 1791Burns Tam o' Shanter 147 The dancers..reel'd, they set, they cross'd, they cleekit. 1801R. Anderson Cumbld. Ball. 18 Tou kens we danc'd a threesome reel, And Betty set to me. 1806J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life iii. (ed. 3) 51 Set corners, ladies. 1811T. Wilson Country Dancing (ed. 2) 6 Foot and set are the same; it is merely dancing in your place to fill up the time of the music. 1894E. Scott Dancing 113 The gentleman sets to and turns with the lady on his left hand. Ibid. 119 Set to partners and turn. Ibid. 120 All set to corners and turn... They set and turn to places.
transf.1835Dickens Sk. Boz, Mr. Watkins Tottle ii, Two green sauce tureens, with ladles of the same, were setting to each other in a green dish.
104. a. pass. and intr. To get stuck. † Also trans. to allow to get stuck.
(There is perhaps a punning reference to this sense in Shakes. Lear ii. ii. 3 Stew. Where may we set our horses? Kent. I' th' myre.)
1756J. Clubbe Misc. Tracts, Hist. Wheatfield (1770) I. 83 Carters..when their waggons were set in bad roads. 1778[Marshall] Minutes Agric. 2 Sept. 1776 If he spill or overturn his load, or if he break his waggon, or set his horses. 1854Thoreau Walden xvi. (1863) 316 A plough got set in the furrow and had to be cut out. 1888Sci. Amer. 4 Feb. 74/1 To prevent the ‘setting’ and sliding of the wheels.
b. Bowls. (intr.) = rub v.1 14 b.
1875‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rural Sports iii. i. iii. §3 If a bowl be struck and if it do rub or set on the striker's partner.
IX. To put in the way of following a certain course, cause to take a particular direction.
* Where physical direction or motion in a certain path is the prevailing notion.
†105. a. To take (a journey), direct (one's course).
a900Cynewulf Elene 1004 (Gr.) Ᵹif hie..ᵹesundne sið settan mosten. a1000Sat. 189 (Gr.) Ic..sceal nu wreclastas settan sorhᵹceariᵹ, siðas wide. a1330Sire Degarre 425 Mani a jorne thai ride and sette. c1375Cursor M. 13668 (Fairf.) To ihesus þe way he sette.
†b. To lay (a ship's course). Also absol. Obs.
c1485Digby Myst. (1882) iii. 1723 Sett þer-with, yf we mown, for I wott itt is a havyn town. 1513Douglas æneis vii. v. 10 It is also cummyn to our eris, Ȝe set ȝour cours ouer see thir mony ȝeiris. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. viii. 42 Setting our course east Northeast.
106. intr. (less freq. refl.) To proceed in a specified direction; to begin to move, start off, put out, set out. Now surviving (exc. Sc.) only in set forth, set forward, set off, † set on, etc. (see XII).
a1000Boeth. Metr. i. 4 Setton suðweardes siᵹeþeoda twa. 1052O.E. Chron. (MS. C), Ða ᵹeaxedon þæt lið þæt on Sandwic læᵹ embe Godwines fare, setton þa æfter. c1205Lay. 27216 Setteð heom after. c1400Beryn 1999 He set hym in ful purpose to his Shippis ward. c1400Destr. Troy 1828 At Salame full sound þai set into hauyn. Ibid. 11109 Sadly ho sete, sewit hym agayne. 1568C. W[atson] Polybius 62 b, Immediately to set towardes his ennimies. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, ii. Prol. 34 The King is set from London. 1632Lithgow Trav. x. 440 From thence I set East-ward to Syragusa. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1664) 342 To set up the brae to the King's city. 1697Dryden æneid vii. 508 The faithless Pirate soon will set to Sea. 1786Burns Halloween xxi, While for the Barn she sets. 1808Jamieson s.v., I set, or set out, after him; I pursued him.
107. a. intr. Of a current, wind: To take or have a (certain) direction or course.
14..Sailing Directions (Hakl. Soc.) 11 At the Hedelonde the streme settith North West and Southest. 1595T. Maynarde Drake's Voy. (Hakl. Soc.) 19 From hence..a great currante setts towards the estward. 1685W. Hedges Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 181 The Current (which usually setts to the Northward at this time of the Year). a1700Evelyn Diary 15 Oct. 1644, Blowing very hard from land..it set so violently as rais'd..so great a sea. 1748Anson's Voy. i. iv. 51 We found the tide to set S.S.E. and N.N.W. 1835Syd. Smith in Mem. (1855) II. 362 When the wind sets that way. 1877Huxley Physiogr. 174 The current which sets into the Gulf of Mexico. 1890Longman's Mag. July 336 The prevalent winds set from the west.
b. Of the tide (cf. set in, 146 f).
1777–83Lescallier Voc. Termes Mar. 64 The tide sets to the South. 1825Examiner 30/1 There was a strong tide setting. 1853M. Arnold Sohrab & Rustum 627 As the vast tide Of the bright rocking Ocean sets to shore At the full moon.
c. fig. and in fig. context: To have a direction, tendency, or bent.
1778Earl Carlisle in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) III. 340, I think I have strength of mind enough to stem the torrent, let it set against me with all its fury. 1842Tennyson Locksley Hall 24 All the current of my being sets to thee. 1885Manch. Exam. 16 Feb. 5/3 The current of popular fiction in this country has lately set strongly towards pure sensationalism. Ibid. 28 Sept. 5/3 The public opinion of the young men is setting against the practice. 1891Temple Bar Nov. 309 Her ambition did not set in the direction indicated. 1893National Observer 1 Apr. 490/1 The sleeve puffings reveal an artful under-garment, setting towards pink.
108. a. trans. To cause to pass into a certain place or from one place to another; to convey, transport (? orig. by water, cf. set over, 150 a). Now rare, the usual verb being put.
1375Barbour Bruce xiv. 382 With four schippes that he had tane, He set thame our the Ban ilkane. c1500in Peacock Stat. Cambr. (1841) App. A. 37 The Bedyll shall sett the Masters of Gramer to the Fathers place. 1530Palsgr. 715/1 Ferye man, what shal I gyve the to set me over the water? 1556Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden) 36 The curet with all the parich and solempnite sette the osttes home with soleme procession. 1575Gamm. Gurton iv. iii. 21, I set him soone inward. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 394 To..sett certane bandis of men of weir to the bordouris. 1601Acc. Bk. W. Wray in Antiquary XXXII. 80 A laye layde..for settynge soldyars into Ireland. 1615W. Lawson Country Housew. Garden (1626) 2 Drifts of snow will set Deere, Hares, and Conies..ouer your wals. 1819J. Hodgson in Raine Mem. (1857) I. 227 The price may pinch me for cash to set me home. 1856Hawthorne Engl. Note-bks. (1870) II. 53 We went back to the ferry, and, after being set across.., we drove back to Melrose.
†b. To put a land, on land, ashore. Obs.
1375Barbour Bruce iii. 425 Ane That rowyt thaim our deliuerly, And set thaim on the land all dry. c1482J. Kay tr. Caoursin's Siege of Rhodes (1870) ⁋11 Many of the Turkes that were sette a land by the brygge from the shippes. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 47 The barke..set us on land neere the Towne. 1700S. Parker Homer in Nutshell 6 You'll ferry o'r, And at the Pallace-stairs be set a'shoar.
intr. for refl.1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxxi. 59 b, He counselled the kyng..to set a lande in Normandy.
c. To accompany or escort (a person) for part or all of the way he has to go. Chiefly north. dial.
1737Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 99, I was setting my Patient a little on the Road. 1802R. Anderson Cumbld. Ball. 34 And monie a time he's set me heame. 1889M. E. Carter Mrs. Severn III. ii. ix. 17 I've had a very happy day, and they set me to the stile. 1890Hall Caine Bondman i. vii, I'll set you as far as Ballasalla.
†d. to set home: to bring to bear closely upon; to enforce, emphasize. Obs.
a1656Vines Lord's Supper (1677) 178 Setting home the sin and danger of it. 1678Cudworth Intell. Syst. i. iv. 422 Which Argumentation is further set home by such Similitudes as these. 1757J. Edwards Orig. Sin i. Wks. 1807 II. 97 To set home this awful truth upon their consciences.
109. Of a current, wind, etc.: To cause to move, carry along in a (certain) direction.
c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6792 Bot þai were lett, And fra þe se to land sett. c1620Z. Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) 9 She plies that course her compasse sets her on. 1748Anson's Voy. ii. v. 180 There was a current which set us to the northward. 1819Byron Juan ii. ci, The current..Still set them onwards to the welcome shore. 1823W. Scoresby Jrnl. 74 A breeze sprung up from the south-east, and set the ice so rapidly upon us. 1892Field 6 Feb. 198/3 The current in a rapid usually ‘sets’ the canoe clear of rocks.
110. To propel (a boat or other craft) with a pole; to punt. Also absol., to use a punt pole or setting pole; now esp. in punt-shooting, to move up to the fowl, to get within shooting distance (cf. set up, 154 pp).
c1566Southam in Hakluyt's Voy. (1599) I. 366 We departed from Ostroue in the morning before Sunne rising, rowing and setting vp the riuer 5. miles. 1705tr. Bosman's Guinea 338 Those in the Boats are obliged to set 'em along by sticking their Pole in the Ground. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 325 By the help of towing and setting as well as they could, they came to a flatter shore. 1765J. Bartram Jrnl. 31 Dec., We rowed or set the battoe as far as she could swim. 1823Examiner 719/1 At Shields, as a young keelman..was in the act of setting the keel to which he belonged, the pole slipped. 1859H. C. Folkard Wild-fowler xxiv. 145 When ‘setting’ to birds side by side with other punters. 1882Payne-Gallwey Fowler Irel. 468 When setting to fowl in this style of craft the shooter lies partly on his left side.
111. a. To direct or point (one's face, foot, etc.) to, towards, for a place.
1611,1632[see face n. 2 g]. a1700Evelyn Diary 30 Aug. 1654, I, with my wife, &c. set our faces towards home. a1701Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1732) 14 That way the Musselmans are obliged to set their faces when they Pray. 1732Law Serious C. iv. 65 With hearts always set towards Heaven. 1850Tennyson In Mem. cii, I turn to go: my feet are set To leave the pleasant fields and farms. 1861Temple Bar I. 394 It was time for him to set his face homewards. 1862Collins No Name ii. i. I. 279 The lonely figure of a woman..with her face set towards the westward view. 1885Field 4 Apr. 426/2 As usual he [sc. the fox] set his head for Nosely. 1890I. D. Hardy New Othello i, They have set their faces for home.
b. To put (a person) on the way leading to a destination.
1678Bunyan Pilgr. i. (1900) 24 By turning thee from the way in which I had set thee. Ibid. 46 He directed me to the Wicket-Gate..and so set me into the way that hath led me directly to this house. 1883J. Gilmour Mongols xviii. 212 Your host comes out with you to set you on your way. 1891M. M. Dowie Girl in Karp. xviii. 239 He knew the path and could set us on it.
** Where a person (or thing) is put to perform a task or to act in a certain way.
(☛ For phr. set a work, at, in, on, or to work, see awork and work.)
112. a. To put (a person) to a piece of work or a task.
c1200Ormin 4166 Þe sexe daȝhess sette God Hiss follc to þeȝȝre werrkess. 1522World & Child 848 Folye met me..And vnto all synnes he set me. 1530Palsgr. 715/1 To set every man to his taske. 1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes day Wks. 1910 II. 349 To doe any y⊇ most vyle or paynefull dewty they are set unto. 1695J. Edwards Author. O. & N. Test. III. 487 The 70 seniors disagreed in their translation..and so were set to it again. 1836B. Hall Schloss Hainfeld vi. 77 We set the children to their regular lessons. 1861Macm. Mag. IV. 331/1 He was set to a work for which he had no stomach.
b. Const. inf. (occas. † gerund): To put (a person or agent) to the task of doing a certain thing, cause (him) to be so occupied.
Prov. set a thief to catch a thief.
a1250Gen. & Ex. 3634 Aaron bissop, oðere of ðat kin, Sette he hem for to seruen ðor-in. a1300Cursor M. 18563 And o mi knightes sum þai sett For to do his graf be gett. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 311 Paschasius,..in þe peyne of purgatorie, was i-sette for to serve bathes. c1450in Aungier Syon (1840) 255 They schal be sette to say..fyftene pater nostres. 1474Caxton Chesse ii. iv. 56 That men shold sette poure children to laboure in the felde. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 142 The free mason setteth his prentyse first longe tyme to lerne to hewe stones. 1599B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. i. i. (1600) D 2, Ile instantly set all my Hinds to thrashing Of a whole Reeke of corne. 1612Brinsley Lud. Lit. 8 To set your children to begin to learne. 1712Addison Spect. No. 435 ⁋1 As one set to watch the Manners and Behaviour of my Countrymen. 1833H. Martineau Loom & Lugger ii. ii. 22 Nurse set us to ask my brother Robert. 1852Thackeray Esmond ii. vii, Baubles..for which men have been set to kill and quarrel ever since mankind began. 1886Encycl. Brit. XX. 42/2 The twilight that sends the hens to roost sets the fox to prowl. 1890Sat. Rev. 12 July 37/2 The naval operations our squadrons are set to perform.
c. transf. with a thing as obj.
1841Helps Ess., Pract. Wisd. (1842) 6 By setting one evil thing to counteract another. 1871R. Ellis Catullus lxiii. 18 Let a gong clash glad emotion, set a giddy fury to roam.
113. a. To direct (one's mind, intention, or will) to the consideration or performance of something. Now rare.
1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 97 He þat til ille settes his wille. 1375Barbour Bruce i. 11, I wald fayne set my will,..To put in wryt a suthfast story. c1386Chaucer Pars. T. 314 He that wolde sette his entente to thise thynges. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. xxxviii, Sen him to serue he myght set my corage? c1450J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. xiii, Þe loue of his hert is now only sette to serue God. 1513Douglas æneis v. xiii. 105 My desire was sett..all Troy for to doun bett. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 60 To which whiles absent he his mind did set. a1668Denham Of Prudence 133 Our hearts are only set..to be Rich or Great. 1671Milton P.R. i. 202 All my mind was set Serious to learn and know. 1681H. More Expos. Dan. 183 He..will set his mind to the taking of the more strongly fortified places. 1879Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxiv. 236 He set his mind to govern his people well.
b. refl. To apply oneself to a piece of work, a task, or employment. Most often (and now always) const. inf.; also † to lay oneself out for.
a1352Minot Poems (ed. Hall) x. 20, I rede þat þou..sone set þe to schriue. c1375Cursor M. 17845 (Fairf.) A-twynne they sette hem to þat note. c1450Mirk's Festial 81 Þay maden to take Mathy eftsones, and set hom to throw stonys at hym. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 37 That King sett him to have senȝeoury of all the Orient. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xxix. 13 Quhen I sett me to sing or dance. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. vi. li. §5 178 He set himselfe for their deliuerance. 1624in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 131, I had set myselfe close to my worke. 1701W. Wotton Hist. Rome 259 He set himself to redress the Abuses. 1845Trench Huls. Lect. Ser. i. i. 9 They..will yet set themselves..to look for petty discrepancies. 1880Meredith Trag. Com. v, She set herself to study it.
c. intr. in the same sense: const. to with n. (pron.) or inf., or to or a- with gerund. (Cf. set about, 127 a.)
1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 90 Quhether I aw to defend my nychtbour in armys, and men wald sett to sla him. 1611Cotgr. s.v. Mettre, If I vndertake it, if I set to it. 1641Milton Animadv. ii. 18 Your Bishops have set as fair to doe it as they durst. 1668H. More Div. Dial. iii. xxix. I. 492 Two Asses..that set a-braying. 1705tr. Bosman's Guinea 395 Most of them set to running before the Enemy appears. 1737[S. Berington] G. di Lucca's Mem. (1738) 14 The Chief of the Inquisition..set to the Scrutiny of his Papers. 1803Beddoes Hygëia ix. 99 A young man..reached a book from a shelf..and set to read. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. iii. iii, He sets to denouncing Stockbrokerage. 1890Cornh. Mag. June 643 The mother and daughters set to the making of beds. 1893Black & White 29 July 124/2 Let us..set a-hunting once more for the philosopher's stone.
114. a. trans. to set (a person) upon: to put in the way of doing or performing, cause to be occupied with (something): often with implication of urging or impelling (cf. put v.1 27). Also refl.
1435Contract Fotheringhay Ch. (1841) 29 During all the sayd werke the seid Will. Horwode shall nether set mo nor fewer Free-Masons..thereupon. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 394 Ane man..That neuer wald set him on assay withoutin his assent. 1657W. Rand tr. Gassendi's Life Peiresc i. 184 A..Historiographer, who was at that time set upon the same undertaking. 1690Locke Hum. Und. ii. xxi. §29 Nothing setting us upon the change of state, or upon any new action, but some uneasiness. 1693― Educ. §94 Wks. 1714 III. 40 The Studies which he sets him upon. 1711Addison Spect. No. 255 ⁋8 This often sets him on empty Boasts and Ostentations of himself. 1825New Monthly Mag. XVI. 406 [It] has set us upon an inquiry into the present state of religion. 1879M. Pattison Milton vi. 75 This rude shock..set Usher upon a more careful examination.
b. Const. on (occas. † in, to) with gerund.
Obs. with reference to physical movement, e.g. set on going, packing: cf. d.
c1440Pallad. on Husb. i. 366 Lond grauel anoon sette in worchinge. 1624Bacon Consid. War Spain (1629) 5 This wheele set on going, did power a Warre vpon the Venetians. 1639Fuller Holy War ii. xli. (1640) 100 Suspicion giveth a passe-port to faith to set it on packing. 1690Locke Hum. Und. iii. vi. §31 [It] sets them also upon making of one name, that may comprehend both Gold, and Silver. 1695Dryden tr. Dufresnoy's Art Paint. 72 You will do well to..set yourself on designing after the Ancient Greeks. 1745Col. Rec. Pennsylv. V. 27 The pernicious conduct of the French at Canada in setting their Indians on destroying the Inhabitants. 1763Mills Pract. Husb. III. 156 If the ground be..not wet enough to set it on growing. 1832Examiner 91/2 This address set him to dancing again. 1851Keble Occas. Papers (1877) 242 Is not this a thought to set us on praying? 1859Geo. Eliot A. Bede xxvii, That he might..set him on persuading the Squire to consent. 1889F. Pigot Strangest Journ. 188 It was perhaps this that set..Jem on stealing my own silver goblet.
c. Const. gerund with a- prefixed: in this const. and next, often, to put (a thing) in motion or progress, to start; esp. to set (a-)going.
1530Palsgr. 712/1 Go set these glasses of rose water a sonnyng. 1600J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa ix. 334 Whosoeuer listeth to drinke of it, must set it a cooling for the space of an hower. 1660Boyle New Exper. Phys. Mech. xvii. 129 Which perhaps will set..You..a thinking. 1705Cheyne Philos. Princ. i. v. (1715) 186 The Impulse of an Almighty Hand to set them first a-going. 1794Gouv. Morris in Sparks Life & Writ. (1832) II. 440 Those who set the plan agoing. 1852Thackeray Esmond i. xiv, Those cards set people sadly a-quarrelling. 1855Bain Senses & Int. ii. iv. §27. 292 A morsel of food on the tongue sets a-going the movements of mastication. 1861Thackeray Four Georges ii, The abbey bells are set a-ringing.
d. Const. simple gerund.
In early use † to set packing, etc., where in modern idiom send is used.
1577Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. 43 The..Gadarits set packing the stoutest of them. 1611Second Maiden's Trag. 1653 One touch will set him flyinge. 1662R. Mathew Unl. Alch. 26 Neither let him think that it [ague] will be set going with one violent potion. 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. ix. (Rtldg.) 361 The good wines..were set running at a furious rate. 1832F. A. Kemble Rec. Girlhood III. 176 Victor Hugo has set my mother raving. 1843Dickens Mart. Chuz. xxxix, With reference to your duties, I can set you going. 1872Calverley Fly Leaves (1884) 24 Half-a-bar sets several couple Waltzing in convenient spots.
¶e. to set gone: to set going, send or let off.
c1611Chapman Iliad xv. 429 He..well might haue set gone A hundred arrowes. 1615― Odyss. xiii. 121 The Rowers..set gone The Ship.
115. To cause to be busy about. Also refl. and pass. (For the corresponding intr. see 127.)
1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 131 Taking little sleepe when I had any thing to set my selfe about. 1693Locke Educ. §202 Wks. 1714 III. 93 The advantages propos'd from what they are set about. 1693Dryden Disc. Satire Ess. 1900 II. 32 The archangel..sets her [Discord]..about her business. 1849Helps Friends in C. ii. i. (1854) I. 277 It set me..about thinking of Cicero's De Senectute. 1864C. M. Yonge Trial I. xiv. 289 Mr. Axworthy had exclaimed that if ever he wanted a thing to be done, he must set Ward about it.
*** Where attack or opposition is the motive.
116. a. To incite (a dog or other animal, also a person) to make an attack or pursuit: chiefly with preps. at, on. (Cf. set on, 148 c.)
c1440Alphabet of Tales 229 Hondis that & þai be set at any maner of beste, þai wil kill it. 1560Pilkington Aggeus C c vj, If a sheepe runne from hys felowes, the Shepeherde settes hys Dogge after it. 1695A. Telfair New Confut. Sadd. (1696) 6 When any one whistled for him [a dog] to set him on the Cattel. 1776Earl Carlisle in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) III. 137, I shall prevent this man from setting ruin like a bull-dog at her. 1840Thackeray Barber Cox Oct., While young Tug set the dog at their heels. 1848― Van. Fair xlvii, In setting the boys' tutor..on her Ladyship's director, Father Mole. Ibid. li, Once or twice they set people at her, but they failed. 1889Doyle Micah Clarke x, They set dogs on us as though we were rats.
b. To encourage (an animal) to perform some evolution or feat; to pit (fighting cocks).
a1586Sidney Arcadia iii. (Sommer) 288 They,..making their horses answer their hands, with a gentle galop, set the one toward the other. 1688Holme Armoury ii. 253/1 In Setting of a Cock, none are to be up on the clod but the 2 Seeters [sic]... When the Cocks are set Beak to Beak in the middle of the clod,..if the set Cock do not strike in counting of 20, and six times 10, and 20 after all; then the Battle is lost. Ibid., The Cock is to be set, and they are to fight it out. 1884Western Daily Press 16 Apr. 7/2 A well-known Kentish amateur..decided to ‘set’ his own birds. 1890F. Barrett Betw. Life & Death II. xix. 38 She would set her horse at anything.
117. a. To place in a position of hostility or opposition; to cause to be hostile or antagonistic; to pit (one) against (another). Phr. to set (a person) against, to cause him to have an antipathy for.
to set one's face against: see face n. 2 g.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9375 Vor setteþ him one hardeliche aȝen an hondred to wende. a1340Hampole Psalter xxvi. 5 If castels be set agaynes me my hert shal not drede. c1420in 26 Pol. Poems 108 Why settyst þou þy herte aȝen resoun? 1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes day Wks. 1910 II. 308 To set our owne wicked wills directly against his most holy will. 1680H. More Apocal. Apoc. 261 He wonders that any man should set his wit against it. 1727Boyer Dict. Royal II. s.v., Why would ye set such a man against ye? 1827Scott Surg. Dau. ix, Set a brave spirit, then, against your fortune. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. ii. iv, Man has been set against man. 1879C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iv. v. 62 Henry VIII tried to set François against it. 1884Manch. Exam. 25 June 5/2 The story..set people against a useful article of fish food. 1891Fenn Mahmie Nousie II. iii. 54 You have been setting her against me.
b. Const. to, at.
a1400–50Wars Alex. 1316 (Dubl.) A sege by hym-self sett to a hundreth. 1595Shakes. John iii. i. 264 So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith, And like a ciuill warr setst oath to oath. 1596Nashe Saffron Walden Wks. 1910 III. 75 Were there a thousand more of them and they should set their wit to his. 1606Shakes. Tr. & Cr. ii. i. 94 Will you set your wit to a Fooles? 1822Lamb Elia i. On some of the old Actors, I have seen some Olivias..who..have seemed to set their wits at the jester. 1871R. Ellis Catullus lxvi. 20 Whiles her bridegroom bold set to the battle a face.
c. refl. and pass. To be hostile or antagonistic.
c1482in Cal. Proc. Chanc. Q. Eliz. II. (1830) Pref. 70 Whoos lordship and ladyship..is so hevely sette ayene the said suppliant. 1535Coverdale Ezek. xxiv. 2 When the kynge of Babilon set himself agaynst Ierusalem. c1640H. Bell Luther's Colloq. Mens. (1652) 303 The Cardinals would yield to no Reformation, but set themselvs against it. 1676Hobbes Iliad i. 107 With a mind against me set. 1727Gay Begg. Op. i. xiii, My Papa and Mama are set against thy life. 1889Jessopp Coming of Friars iii. 158 The Cistercians..at first set themselves against the wholesale pillage of the parochial clergy. 1889Gissing Nether World iii, She only gets more and more set against me.
d. intr. To make an attack: see set against 128 a, set at 129, set on, upon, 131, 132 a.
X. Senses which appear to have arisen by reversal of construction or by an ellipsis.
†118. a. To people or garrison (a place) with.
971Blickl. Hom. 121 Hie wiston þæt heora eþel þær on heofenum sceolde eft ᵹebuen & ᵹeseted weorþan mid halᵹum sawlum. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 964, Her dræfde Eadgar cyng þa preostas on Ceastre of Ealdanmynstre,..& of Middeltune & sette hy mid munecan. c1205Lay. 13337 And setten þine castles mid kene monnen.
b. To beset (a place) for the purpose of intercepting or capturing a person.
a1425Cursor M. 19717 (Trin.) Ofte þe toun for him þei set And saul wist þat he was þret. c1470Henry Wallace iv. 56 And tauld how thai the way for his man sett. 1525Sc. Acts Jas. V (1814) II. 298 Setting þe gait Laying wachis. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 123 With mony spy [he] Gart sett the wod. a1593Marlowe Mass. Paris 332 That they which haue already set the street May know their watchword.
119. To plant (ground) with ‘sets’ or (young) trees; formerly often with about. (Cf. 12.)
to be set with = to have growing upon it, to be overgrown with.
c1290S. Eng. Leg. 239/695 Þicke it was i-set with treon. 1340Ayenb. 95 God zette paradys erþlich uol of guode trawes. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xiii. iv. (1495) 443 Ampnis is a ryuer arayed and sett wyth woodes. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 3862 Þat fosse whare þe water was ȝett It is aboute with trees sett. a1500Flower & Leaf 56 The hegge..With sicamour was set and eglatere. c1590Marlowe Faustus (1631) D, The Riuer Maine..Whose bankes are set with groues of fruitfull Uines. a1700Evelyn Diary 27 Sept. 1644 The Pall Mall is sett with faire trees. Ibid. Apr. 1646, Several..walks all set about with orange..trees. 1757E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances (1767) I. 196, I have set the last acre of Belmont since I came down. 1852Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIII. ii. 417 The whole 3 acres were ploughed and set with beans. 1855Tennyson Brook v, Many a fairy foreland set With willow-weed and mallow. 1891M. M. Dowie Girl in Karp. xiii. 163 A grassy clearing, set with whortleberries.
120. a. To ornament (metal or other surface) by inlaying or encrusting it with stones or gems.
c1370Robt. Cicyle 57 (Camb. MS.) Alle was set with perrye. a1375Joseph Arim. 290 Sencers..set wiþ riche stones. 1431Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1904) 27 A myter of cloth of gold set with stones. 1572–3in Nichols Progr. Eliz. (1823) I. 324 One ring of golde sett with diamondes lozengye. 1681J. Flavel Meth. Grace xxxiv. 575 A sword that hath an hilt of gold, set thick with diamonds. a1700Evelyn Diary 7 Sept. 1651 Whose belt was set with pearle. 1795Gentl. Mag. 607/1 A superb watch, set with brilliants.
b. To surround (a large stone) with a mount of small stones; to mount (an object) in a particular metal. ? Obs.
1506Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. III. 246 Ane mergreit set with stanes. 1705Evelyn Diary 5 Feb., He had a most rich George in a Sardonyx set with diamonds. 1726Swift Gulliver ii. viii, I got it [a maid of honour's corn] hollowed into a cup and set in silver. 1727Gay Begg. Op. i. vi, And this snuff-box... Set in gold!
121. a. pass. To be studded, dotted, lined, etc. with a number of objects; occas. † to be adorned or trimmed with. to be set about (arch.) or set round with, to be surrounded or encircled with, to have a circle of.
1382Wyclif Song Sol. vii. 2 As an hep of whete, set aboute with lilies. a1400Parlt. 3 Ages 31 And he assommet and sett of vi and of fyve. c1400Anturs of Arth. (Camden) x, In clething vn-clere Was sette aure [Thornton MS. Cerkelytt] with serpentes, that sate to the sidus. 1474Caxton Chesse iii. ii. 90 Enuyrouned and set aboute wyth gardes & wacche⁓men. 1486Bk. St. Albans, Her. b iv, Quadrat is calde in armys whan the felde is set with sum tokyn of armys. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xviii. 51 b, A very fayre fountaine, set about with diuers faire cypres trees. Ibid. xxii. 60 b, A rich pauillion of..satten set with gold and siluer. 1597Gerarde Herbal i. v. 6 A brownish stalke..set with long sharpe leaues. 1667Milton P.L. vi. 755 As with Starrs thir bodies all And Wings were set with Eyes. a1700Evelyn Diary 15 Feb. 1645, An admirable picture..set about with columns of alabaster. Ibid. 29 May 1660, The windowes and balconies well set with ladies. 1712Addison Spect. No. 383 ⁋4 How thick the City was set with Churches. 1810Scott Lady of L. i. xi, Fantastically set With cupola or minaret. 1889M. E. Carter Mrs. Severn III. iii. viii. 205 The serene sky was set with stars. 1889Doyle Micah Clarke xxiv, A small ante-chamber, set round with velvet settees.
b. rare in the corresponding active use.
c1386Chaucer Clerk's T. 382 A corone on hire heed they han ydressed And sette hire ful of Nowches. 1882Century Mag. XXIV. 398/1 Winter had set them [the summits of the mountain] with snowy castles.
122. †a. To beset or besiege (a place or a person): esp. with about. Obs.
c1400Rom. Rose 7342 They..set the castel al aboute. c1425Wyntoun Cron. viii. xxxi. 5408 He was set harde. c1430Syr Tryam. 1307 We here be sett alle abowte. 1530Palsgr. 715/1, I set rounde aboute, as a man is with his enemyes, or a beest with hunters.
b. fig. esp. in pass. phr. to be hard set, † ill set, to be in great straits or hard put to it.
1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 473 Þe kyng..was hard i-sette wiþ tempest in þe see. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 449, I sall hald that I haue hecht, bot I be hard set. c1560A. Scott Poems xx. 20 Lufe, Quhilk now setts the so sair. 1653H. More Antid. Ath. iii. ix heading, How hard set the Atheist will be for a subterfuge against this story. 1673O. Heywood Diaries (1883) III. 204 They were ill set to liue. 1737Bracken Farriery Impr. (1756) I. 254 The poor Creature is very hard set to drive his Water from him. 1891Temple Bar Dec. 514 He..was hard set to restrain himself in his desire.
123. a. Of a hunting dog: To mark the position of (game) by stopping dead and pointing the muzzle towards it. (Cf. setter n.1 11.)
1621Markham Hungers Prevention 255 If..you chaunce to see your dogge to make a sudden stop..you shall then presently make into him (for he hath set the Partridge). a1674Clarendon Hist. Reb. xiv. §76 To see a dog set partridge. 1727Boyer Dict. Royal I. s.v. Arrester, To set Quails, or Partridges, as a setting Dog does. 1892Field 7 May 666/3, I remember once having a young setter dog out with me, when he set a partridge on her nest.
b. transf. and fig.
1675J. Smith Chr. Relig. App. i. 23 Yet for all this Tully sets this Royal Game [Varro]. 1781Johnson in Boswell, Have I said any thing against Mr.****? You have set him, that I might shoot him: but I have not shot him. 1825T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Sutherl. I. 5 My reader may perchance have seen a cat set a mouse. 1888Times 16 Oct. 10/5 The puppy was..encouraged forward on my trail..and ‘set’ me without a fault.
c. intr. To set game. † Also formerly (of persons), to go setting, to hunt with a setter.
to set dead, to make a dead set: see set n.1 10 f.
1775Johnson Tax. no Tyr. 12 His dog may refuse to set. 1841H. Miller Old Red Sandst. iii. (1887) 66 The puppy of the setting-dog squats down and sets untaught. 1892Field 23 July 124/1 He..steals along a few paces, and then sets rigidly, just as an old grey hen flushes. 1897Badm. Mag. Apr. 456 The mother, twenty yards off, backs her point and sets dead.
†d. Of persons, to go a-setting: see setting vbl. n.1 1 c (b).
124. Naut. To take the bearings of (an object).
1626Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 18 Set him by the Compasse. 1627― Seaman's Gram. ix. 38 Set the land, how it beares by the Compasse. 1694Motteux Rabelais v. x, We weigh'd Anchor, hois'd up Sail, stow'd the Boats, set the Land, and stood for the Offing. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) Setting, We set the Tower of Arabia near the port of Alexandria. 1808Ashe Trav. I. 25 Having set the house with a pocket-compass. 1863Harbord Gloss. Navig. s.v. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Set the chase, to mark well the position of the vessel chased by bearing.
†b. To sight or ‘make’ (land, a vessel). Obs.
1632Lithgow Trav. vii. 328 When they set land, Some this, some that, doe gesse, this Hill, that Cape.
125. a. To mark down as prey, fix on as a victim, make a set at; to watch for the purpose of apprehending or robbing. slang. (Cf. setter n.1 7 a.)
1670Mem. Du Vall 8 He, with his Squadron, overtakes a Coach which they had set over night. 1692Sprat Relat. Contriv. Blackhead & Young i. 50 He might come to Rob, or to Set the House. 1727Gay Begg. Op. iii. ii. (1776) 43 There will be deep play to-night at Marybone,..I'll give you the hint who is worth setting. 1732Tricks of Town 11 The Dogs that belong to private Families and Shopkeepers, the proper time for setting them is generally soon after Seven in the Morning. 1800in Cornwallis Corr. (1859) III. 320 The person who procured for me all the intelligence respecting Lord Edward Fitzgerald, and got ― to set him. 1890Melbourne Argus 2 July 8/3 Two of the fraternity ‘setting’ a young man..and endeavouring to win the gold for which he had laboured.
b. Phr. to have or get (a person) set: to have a score to settle with, ‘have it in for’ (that person). Austral. and N.Z. slang. Cf. set n.1 7 b.
1916C. J. Dennis Songs Sentimental Bloke 40 This Romeo 'e's lurkin' wiv a crew—A dead tough crowd o' crooks—called Montague. 'Is cliner's push—wot's nick⁓named Capulet—They 'as 'em set. c1926‘Mixer’ Transport Workers' Song Bk., 17 You growl and swear you can't get work Or the boss has got you set. 1945Baker Austral. Lang. vi. 121 A man who has acquired a strong dislike of another person... He gets someone set and words him, rebukes him. 1959― Drum 112 Get someone set, to have a grudge against a person; to prepare to pay someone out.
†126. Sc. Law. To reject, set aside. Obs.
1678Sir G. Mackenzie Crim. Laws Scot. ii. xxiii. §6 (1699) 250 Thus an assizer was set..because he was not twenty-five Years of age. Ibid. xxvi. §2. 265 To object against a witness in our Law, is called to cast a witness, or to set him.
XI. With prepositions in specialized senses (intransitive).
127. set about ―. a. (a) To begin working at, take in hand, begin upon.
1601[see A. 1 γ]. 1611Second Maiden's Trag. (Malone Soc.) 1182 He will weigh the work he vndertakes, and sett about it een in the best sobrietie of his Iudgem[en]t. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1664) 189, I purpose God willing to set about Hosea & to try if I can get it to the presse here. 1707Shaftesbury Let. Enthusiasm (1708) 8 Men..are wonderfully happy in a Faculty of deceiving themselves, whenever they set heartily about it. 1784New Spect. No. 1. 6 My friend sat about it with great diligence. 1818Scott Br. Lamm. xxvi, Let every man and woman here set about their ain business. 1865Ruskin Sesame i. §2 This essential education might be more easily got..if they set about it in the right way. 1889Doyle Micah Clarke xxx, We had best set about our part of the contract.
(b) const. inf.
a1300Cursor M. 1580 Þe scham, þe sin þat þan was vte At tell war lang to sett aboute [Gött. sitt aboute, Fairf. syte a-bout]. 1736T. Lediard Life of Marlborough I. 147 The Queen set about to form Her Ministry. 1840Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. I. iv. 404 He sets about to clean his land in good earnest. 1889‘M. Gray’ Repr. Annesley I. i. iv. 94 He scrambled to his feet, and set about to console himself.
(c) const. gerund.
1749Chesterfield Let. to Son 24 Nov., I..will set about doing the orders contained therein. a1774Goldsm. tr. Scarron's Com. Romance (1775) II. 172 Don Sancho's servant..immediately sat about enquiring into Dorothea's conduct. 1865Gladstone Glean. vii. (1879) 34, I will set about explaining what I mean. 1890T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. from 1689, 173 Peel..set about forming a new party.
b. To set upon, attack. colloq.
1879Horsley Jottings from Jail (1887) 5 This got to my father's ears; when I went home he set about me with a strap until he was tired. 1906Daily Chron. 22 May 3/3 It is always well to name the antagonist whom you are setting about.
128. set against ―. †a. To make an attack upon, be hostile to. Obs.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 4874 Þis paiens..oȝains þis children set. a1400–50Wars Alex. 2082, I my-selfe with a sowme set þaim agayns. 1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. 333 He spared not to sette against Philippus wt moste vehemente oracions. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 146. 1611 Bible Ezek. xix. 8 The nations set against him on euery side. 1685Baxter Paraphr. N.T. Mark vii. 9 You think it very well done, to set against Godliness and God's own Laws.
b. To compensate, balance.
1832H. Martineau Homes Abroad vii. 104 Such a fright as we have had will set against a great deal of the good.
c. To move in a direction opposed to.
1859T. Parker Exper. as Minister Wks. 1865 XII. 318 Public opinion, now setting against this beastly vice. 1889C. Larking With Everything agst. her III. xi. 245 On the last day luck set dead against her.
129. set at ―. To assail, attack. (Cf. 127 b, 128 a, 131, 132 a.)
c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode i. xliii. (1869) 26 Ne were ye so gret a ladi, ye shulde right soone haue þe werre, and at yow j wolde sette. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 49 b, They were prively sett at and in many jeopardies. 1849Tait's Mag. XVI. 262/1 He sets at the church..and he deals it..strong advice and comment. 1877C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iii. xxxvi. 391, I would go, although as many devils should set at me as there are tiles on the housetops.
set by ―: see 91 c.
130. set into ―. †a. To enter or embark upon.
1591Savile Tacitus, Agricola (1622) 188 Boldnesse to challenge and set into dangers. 1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. To the King §12 When Schollars come to the practises of professions, or other actions of ciuill life, which when they set into [etc.].
b. To get into (a certain condition).
1825Hone Every-day Bk. I. 292, I begin..setting into wind to follow the foxhounds in November.
131. set on ―. = 132.
c1290S. Eng. Leg. 16/530 A cristine man sone he mette,..and on him faste he sette. c1450Brut ii. 434 He set sore on the Frensshe men. 1470–85Malory Arthur ii. x. 87 Syr said a knyght set on arthur for they are wery and forfoughten. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 136 The Frenchemen, beyng sodainly surprised and set on. 1628Earle Microcosm. xl. (Arb.) 61 He..sets boldly on good natures, as the most vanquishable. a1700Evelyn Diary 20 Apr. 1644, The company behind us were set on by rogues. 1820Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. II. 447 With despair pictured in every face, the crew set on the pumps. 1892Sat. Rev. 13 Aug. 185/2 If you see a man set on by robbers.
set to ―: see 14 b, 103, 113 c.
132. set upon ―. a. (a) To attack, assail, fall violently upon.
1390Gower Conf. III. 247 The lordes alle upon him sette With drawe swerdes. 1525in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 300 Wheere the Emperors thought to have set upon them being encamped, they founde them in array and goode ordre. 1530Palsgr. 716/1 They dyd sette upon me foure to one. 1562in Archæologia XLVII. 230 His maister..meteth whithe theeves..And ys sett vpon by them. 1631Gouge God's Arrows i. §60. 100 David..set upon a Beare at one time, and on a Lion at another, and slew them both. 1663Pepys Diary 11 May, I was set upon by a great dogg, who got hold of my garters. 1722St. James's Even. Post 14–16 June 2/1 A young Man was set upon by three Rogues..and robb'd of Bills and Money. 1848Dickens Dombey xliii, Wounded, hunted, set upon by dogs. 1879Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xii. 109 The Danes came against them and set upon them again and again.
(b) in immaterial sense.
1639Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 205 Of all brags the foolishest is, that which sets upon the reputation of a weake sex. 1690Locke Govt. i. xi. §118 However sin might set upon him. 1711Addison Spect. No. 16 ⁋3 If I attack the Vicious, I shall only set upon them in a Body. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 356 This is the reason why my three accusers..have set upon me.
b. To urge strongly, importune. rare.
1652Earl of Monmouth tr. Bentivoglio's Hist. Relat. 158 The Princesse was secretly set upon in private to suffer herself to bee conveyed away. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 236 The best of the Episcopal Clergy set upon the Bishops, to lay hold on this opportunity. 1883[G. N. Bankes] Cambr. Staircase vi. 95 Milstead again set upon Oxden for his story.
†c. = set about, 127 a. Obs.
1555W. Watreman Fardle of Facions ii. xii. 300 It behoued them to sende for the Bishoppe, to hallowe the firste corner stone... And then might the Masons sette vpon the reste, but not afore. 1648Gage West Ind. 146 It was my fortune to set upon a hard and difficult building in a Church of Mixco. 1681R. L'Estrange Tully's Offices 69 Him that sets upon Building. 1709Strype Ann. Ref. I. xxiii. 234 The Dean..exciting them with all his Rhetorick, to set upon the Reparation of it. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §103 To level the Sugar-Loaf..would..be a serious work; as it never could be set upon except when the sea was remarkably still.
d. Naut. To haul or pull upon.
1793Smeaton Edystone L. 196 This tackle being a little slacked,..and then set upon. Ibid. 197 The rope..being then set upon by the main tackle.
XII. With adverbs in specialized senses.
133. set about. To circulate, spread about (a statement, report). Now chiefly north. dial.
a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 168 Many discourses were set about upon this occasion. 1890Sat. Rev. 4 Oct. 385/1 Alarming reports have been set about as to the imminence of serious trouble.
134. set abroach. arch. a. To broach (a cask, liquor).
1390Gower Conf. II. 183 Riht as who sette a tonne abroche. c1460[see A. 1 b]. 1697,1855[see abroach 1].
fig.14..Lydg. Chron. Troy iv. 2464 (Digby MS.) He..gan approche & wiþ his swerd to sette a broche..þe Grekys hatful blood. 1605Chapman All Fools ii. i, My Purse set a broch By euerie cheating come you seauen? 1763C. Johnston Reverie I. p. iv, He had drunk of his wine, which now began to warm his heart, and set all his secrets abroach.
b. To set on foot, set going, give currency or publicity to.
c1475Mankind 572 in Macro Plays 21 Ther xall be sett a-broche a clerycall mater. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. i. Wks. (1904) 26 Than euery one of them setteth his shiftes abroche. 1579Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 32 There set they abroche straunge consortes of melody. 1638,1835[see abroach 2]. 1702Engl. Theophrastus 324 A studied and a laborious forecast toward the setting of a humour abroach.
†135. set abroad. Obs. a. To spread abroad, spread wide.
1526Tindale Matt. xxiii. 5 They set abroade there philateries, and make large borders on there garmenttes.
b. To publish (a treatise); to circulate (a report); to disseminate (a disease); to set (a matter) on foot.
1555Bradford in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) III. App. 127 Thoughe yt be never so daungerous to me to sett this lyttell Treatys abroad. 1584Cogan Haven Health ccxliii. 265 The plague..was set abroade in the towne through buying..bedding..infected. 1588Shakes. Tit. A. i. i. 192 And set abroad new businesse for you all. 1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, To set a Story abroad. 1759S. Fielding C'tess of Dellwyn I. 257 Ingeniously set it abroad that a Fire had happened.
†136. set adown. = set down. Obs.
c1205Lay. 19686 We weoren..for gode men iholden a þat Sæxisce men setten us a-dune. 13..Coer de Lion 2142 The steward on knees him set adown. c1350Will. Palerne 2459 Þanne as bliue þat barn þe best a-doun sette. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 226 Vp-on the..gras They settyn hem ful softely adoun. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 107 And I..deme þat I be disposed and i-sette adoun.
137. set afloat († on float). arch. a. To launch, float (lit. and fig.).
1559Mirr. Mag., Cade xi. 1 See here how fortune setting vs a flote, Brought to our nets a portion of our pray. 1575Gascoigne Glasse of Govt. Wks. 1910 II. 62, I trust maister Philosarchus fees will be sufficient to set both thee and me a floate. 1785Boswell Tour Hebrides (1897) 537, I got our common friends there to assist in setting him afloat. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. ii. v, Wondrous leather-roofed Floating-batteries, set afloat by French-Spanish Pacte de Famille.
b. To bring to the surface (as the dregs of a liquid); hence fig. to set (esp. something bad) in motion, set agog, stir up, make active.
1586[see afloat 8]. 1662Charleton Myst. Vintners (1675) 191 Seeing all Unsavouriness of Wines whatever seems to proceed from their impurities set afloat. 1724Warburton Tracts (1789) 4 Ill Qualities,..when indiscreetly set on Float become fatal on the Constitution. 1749[see float n. 4]. 1809Malkin Gil Blas ix. x. (Rtldg.) 332 Hold your hand..exclaimed I... You must not set my avarice afloat again.
†c. To flood (land). Obs.
1692Ray Disc. ii. ii. (1693) 74 So much Water..as..caused a considerable Flood.., setting all the Meadows on flote.
†d. To cause to become unsettled, ‘carry away’.
a1713T. Ellwood Hist. Life (1714) 320 [Their] Applause setting his Head afloat, he came up to London.
138. set apart. †a. To lay aside, put on one side. Obs.
1530Palsgr. 711/1 You may sette this a parte for a whyle, for we shall nat occupye it.
†b. To get rid of, do away with. Obs.
1455Rolls of Parlt. V. 279/2 To..purvey for restfull..reule in Wales, and to sette aparte such riottes and disobeisaunces as have be there. 1475Ibid. VI. 143/2 That the said blessed intent,..and last Will..be not..fordoon and sett a parte.
†c. (a) To dismiss from one's consideration; to put out of one's mind; to cease to entertain, put aside, discontinue. Obs.
1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 676 They..sette aparte all dangers and paryllis. 1515Sel. Cases Star Chamb. (Selden) II. 103 To set aparte all suche neue besynes as that thenne they hadde begonne. 1565J. Phillip Patient Grissell (Malone Soc.) 1581 Be frollicke and ioyfull, set sorowes aparte. 1609Holland Amm. Marcell. xx. vii. 152 Sequestring and setting apart his anger for that time. a1641Spelman Hist. Sacrilege (1698) 144 They all set all other Business a-part.
(b) in absolute ppl. phr.
1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 146 That thou retorne in to the mercy of thy fader..alle excusacions set a part. 1508Fisher 7 Penit. Ps. vi. Wks. (1876) 5 Set aparte the goodnes and gentylnes of almyghty god. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 14 b, He would..all delaye sette a parte, repaire into Germany. 1595Shakes. John iii. i. 159 All reuerence set apart To him and his vsurp'd authoritie. 1636Heywood Challenge Beautie i. Wks. 1874 V. 11 To parallel the Queene in beauty and vertue?.. Which he may easily doe, her Prerogative of birth set apart.
d. To separate for a special purpose; to devote to some use.
1604–1853 [see apart 6].
139. set aside († on side). a. See simple physical senses and aside adv. 1, 2, 3; to put on one side.
1412–20Lydg. Chron. Troy ii. 2696 Make þi choyse..Whan euery drogge & pot is set a-syde. c1430Art of Nombryng (E.E.T.S.) 10 Write a cifre in the place of the figure sette a-side. 1530Palsgr. 711/2 Set this asyde, tyll I call for it. 1598Deloney Iacke of Newberie Wks. (1912) 16 Set your link aside, and giue mee your hand. 1611Cotgr., Remouvoir, to remoue, retire, withdraw, set aside, put away. 1614Gorges Lucan viii. 343 His Roman pile was set aside. 1697[see aside A. 3].
†b. To discontinue the performance or practice of; also, to discard the intention of doing (something). Obs.
1426Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 22458 Late lordes..Sette asyde alle fflaterye! c1440― Hors, Shepe & G. 90 Lett alle werr and stryffe be sett A-syde. 1528Roy Rede me i. (Arb.) 65 Sett thy busynes a whyle a side, And lett vs have fyrst a songe. 1530Palsgr. 711/2 The kynge wyll, all other thynges set asyde, that you examyne this mannes mater. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iv. i. 188 Our purpos'd hunting shall be set aside. 1697Dryden æneid viii. 584 Set your Tasks aside.
†c. ? To repulse. Obs.
c1500World & Child 294 To set our enemy sharpely on-syde.
d. (a) To dismiss from one's mind, abandon the consideration of.
c1407Lydg. Reason & Sens. 3189 And al they mente in honest wyse, Vnleful lust was set a-syde. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus ii. ii. K ij, Settynge care and thought a syde. 1562Aberd. Kirk Sess. Rec. (Spalding Club) 4 All vder excusatioun set asyde. 1567Harman Caveat Epist. (1869) 21 Settinge asyde all feare. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 119 All dissembling set aside, Tell me for truth, the measure of his Loue. 1710Wycherley Let. to Pope 1 Apr., Yet..set raillery or compliment aside, I can bear your absence..better than I can your company when you are in pain. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxiii, To make her lady's safety the principal object of her care, setting all other considerations aside.
const. inf.c1572Gascoigne Posies, Fruites of Warre xl, I set aside to tell the restlesse toyle The mangled corps.
(b) In imper. or ppl. const.: Excluding, excepting, except for, apart from.
1610Holland Camden's Brit. i. 567, I saw Solyhill: but in it, setting a side the Church, there is nothing worth sight. 1652Earl of Monmouth tr. Bentivoglio's Hist. Relat. 55 And set wine aside..they abound in all things necessary for human life. 1657― tr. Paruta's Pol. Disc. 107 But set this respect aside, to live out of a mans Countrie, hath no resemblance of evil. 1760Impostors Detected iii. xi. II. 123 He was a very good kind of a man, setting aside his figure. 1883E. Lawless Millionaire's Cousin iv. 95 Setting aside this, all inequality so far as I can see ceases.
† (c) In ppl. const.: Not taking account of, let alone. Obs.
1753L. M. Accomplished Woman I. 61, I think, that setting aside scandal, it were enough to escape their [men's] censure. 1785Liberal Amer. I. 63, I flattered myself that the sight of a country..which is certainly beautiful, setting aside the charm of novelty, would have amused her.
e. To reject or throw over as being of no value, cogency, or pertinence; to overrule.
1594West 2nd Pt. Symbol., Chancerie §22 Equitie..setting on side the common rules of the law. a1700Evelyn Diary 18 May 1688, Such a dispensing power as might..set aside all Laws. 1762–71H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) III. 57 [He] was brought to set aside his evidence. 1870–2Liddon Elem. Relig. iv. §i. (1904) 133 The existence of moral evil is too patent..a subject, to be permanently set aside by human beings. 1874Stubbs Const. Hist. I. vi. 135 The rule of hereditary succession was..set aside. 1885R. Bridges Nero iii. i. 12/2 To set our honoured oaths and firm allegiance To you aside, as being unjustly sworn.
f. To discard or reject from use or service, in favour of another.
1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes day K iij b, Settinge a side such thinges as are requisite for the soules health: And omitting the obseruance of gods holy commaundementes. 1691Trials Sir R. Graham, etc. 24 Mr. Cradock. My Lord, I know not how I came to be summoned upon this Jury; for I am no Freeholder. L. C. J. Holt. Then set him aside. 1779Mirror No. 39 When a man of acknowledged honour..sees himself set aside, and obliged to give way to the worthless and contemptible. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 5 If that national force [the militia] were set aside, the gentry of England must lose much of their dignity and influence. 1861Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xv. 220 To set aside the elder or Stuart branch, and to substitute..the younger. 1879M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xliii. 440 The English prayer-book was set aside, and the Latin mass said again.
g. To annul, quash, render void or nugatory. Chiefly Law.
1760C. Johnston Chrysal (1822) III. 179, I have it in my power to set aside the whole unnatural, nonsensical will. 1790Durnford & East K.B. Rep. III. 5 A rule to shew cause..why the verdict should not be set aside and a new trial granted. 1877Spurgeon Serm. XXIII. 61 Nor does it set aside the necessity that those men should cheerfully accept the gospel of Christ. 1883Law Rep. 11 Q.B. Div. 591 A rule was subsequently obtained by Mr. Woollett to set that nonsuit aside.
h. To separate out for a particular purpose.
1720Gordon & Trenchard Indep. Whig (1728) 66 Particular Persons who are set aside and paid for that Purpose. 1890T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. from 1689, 91 To set aside a part of the national revenue every year. 1891Law Times XCII. 130/2 To set aside a portion of his wages in order to meet Lloyd's debt.
140. set away. †a. To remove, do away with.
c1430Art of Nombryng (E.E.T.S.) 16 Settyng away alle that is ouer hym in respect of the doublede. 1549Latimer 7th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 200 Knoweledge..causeth vs to forget all, and set a waye discipline. 1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, To set (or put) away, oter.
b. = set by, 142 b.
1747H. Glasse Cookery ii. 52 Strain it and set it away for Use.
c. intr. To set off. north. dial.
1818Scott Rob Roy xxvii, Mattie had ill-will to see me set awa on this ride.
141. set back. a. To hinder the progress of, give a check to. Hence, with a sum of money as compl.: to cost (a person so much). Also fig., to take aback, to disconcert.
[1530Palsgr. 712/2 I set backewarde, or hynder a mater that it gothe nat forwarde... I have set hym backwarde this mornynge more than he shall come forwarde these seven yeres.] 1600Holland Livy iii. 118 Thou hadst more need to set me backe with force of arms. 1647May Hist. Parlt. i. ii. 20 The endammaging and setting backe of that newly established Kingdome. a1677Barrow Serm. Wks. 1716 I. 62 By so eagerly persuing he effectually setteth back his designs. a1700Evelyn Diary 11 Aug. 1693, This succeeded much wet, and set harvest extremely back. 1748Richardson Clarissa VI. 56 This had like to have set all back again. 1847Spirit of Times 31 May 159/1 The captain used to boast that he could pack a gallon without its setting him back any. 1884‘Mark Twain’ Huck. Finn viii. 66 The nigger was set back considerable, because he reckoned it was all done with witchcraft. 1900Ade Fables in Slang 131 Daughter was..seated under a Canopy that had set Father back thirty-two Dollars. 1922S. Lewis Babbitt x. 142 How much'll it set me back? 1937J. Steinbeck Of Mice and Men 79 ‘What's it set you back?’ George asked. ‘Two and a half [dollars].’ 1940H. L. Ickes Secret Diary (1954) III. 183 This set him back on his heels. 1966‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 53 ‘Goin' t' leave it?’ the prince asked, a bit set back. 1974Country Life 14 Nov. 1445/1 Even a moderately-sized piece of cheesecake sets you back 20p.
b. To put (a clock, its hands) to an earlier time.
1635Quarles Embl. v. vii. 2 Or has some frolick heart set back the hand Of Fates perpetuall Clock? 1892Illustr. Lond. News 9 Jan. 45/1 They reconcile people to monarchy and set back the clock of progress.
c. intr. To flow in the reverse direction.
1803Syd. Smith Wks. (1859) I. 24/1 Is not the tide of opinions..setting back with a strength equal to its flow?
142. set by. †a. To put on one side, lay aside. (lit. and fig.). Obs.
1602Shakes. Ham. v. ii. 295 Ile play this bout first, set by a-while. 1626B. Jonson Staple of N. iii. ii. (1905) 66 To be separated and set by For Vshers, to old Countesses. a1642Suckling Goblins i. Wks. 1874 II. 16 Set him by, till he's sober. 1654tr. Scudery's Curia Pol. 12 You have forced him not onely to set by his Mil[i]tia, and to depose his Crown.
b. To lay up or lay by for future use.
1595T. Maynarde Drake's Voy. (Hakl. Soc.) 8 To trimme his shippes..set by some new pinnaces. 1726Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 100/2 The Pantry for setting by what is left after meals. 1818Scott Br. Lamm. xxvi, Let the house be redd up, the broken meat set by. 1850Miss Warner Wide Wide World xxxvii, After that many a basket of apples..was set by for her.
†c. (a) To reject, dismiss; to disregard, scorn.
1592Nashe Strange Newes Wks. 1910 I. 294 No more set by, but set by, thrust aside. 1636Heywood Challenge Beautie i. Wks. 1874 V. 9 Birth wee set by. 1660Fuller Mixt Contempl. ii. xiv. 23 Being now set by, layd aside as uselesse, and not sett by. 1704Norris Ideal World ii. i. 36 To set by this conclusion for a while. 1758S. Hayward Serm. xvi. 481 'Tis indisputable... Devils cannot set it by, and the judge will not.
† (b) setting by: setting aside, not counting.
a1592Greene Alphonsus i. i, Setting by Alphonsus' power divine, What man alive..Could countervail his courage? 1657Heylin Undeceiv. People 7 Setting by all children which live under their parents [etc.]..the number of the residue will be found so small.
†d. To give up (doing something). Obs.
a1674Clarendon Surv. Leviath. (1676) 282 To set by disputing with him, as one that is to be convinced only by himself.
143. set down. (Cf. set adown, 136.) a. See simple trans. senses and down adv.
(a) To cause to sit down. rare.
a1470Gregory Chron. in Hist. Coll. Cit. Lond. (Camden) 222 The Erle of Worseter was take before the mayre and sette downe in the myddys of the hy tabylle. 1525Ld. Berners Froiss. II. ccxxvii. 295 b, The duke of Orlyaunce set euery man downe. 1835Willis Pencillings III. 135 We were set down..at nine, to cold grouse, salmon [etc.]. 1861S. Brooks Silver Cord v. (1865) 27 The little girl having..been..set down, in a half-darkened apartment, to amuse herself with the pictures in Fox's Book of Martyrs.
† (b) To encamp (an army or host). Obs.
1607Shakes. Cor. v. iii. 2 We will before the walls of Rome to morrow Set downe our Hoast. 1621Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 34 Because he did not..spend so many bookes..as Antimachus did, before he sate downe the seuen Princes at Thebes.
(c) To place, situate, locate.
1827Edin. Weekly Jrnl. 28 Feb., in Scott Chron. Canongate Introd. App., Wherever the belligerent powers might be pleased to set down this new theatre. 1882W. Morris in Mackail Life (1899) II. 67 Lewes is set down better than any town I have seen in England. a1887Jefferies Field & Hedgerow (1889) 316 He was the exact counterpart of the London Jew dealer, set down in the midst of the country.
(d) Falconry. (See quots.)
1614Latham Falconry i. xi. 40 You doe at her first setting downe, giue her as much as she list to take into her gorge. 1891Harting Bibl. Accipitr. 229 Set down to moult, put into the mew.
b. † (a) To bring low, debase; to depose from office; to put down, quell. Obs.
c1369Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 635 That is broght up she set al doun. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 261 In þat counsaille were y-sett doun meny bisshops and abbotes. Ibid. VIII. 179 He was i-sette doun of the fourþe pope Innocentius. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 141 Quhat was best to be done aganis..thair new reliegieoun and to sie quhat way thay might sett done the samin.
(b) To lower (a person's pride, etc.); to take down, snub.
1753Richardson Grandison (1754) III. xviii. 251 Sir Harry own'd himself to blame: and thus the Lady's pride was set down softly. 1846D. Jerrold Mrs. Caudle xxxi, Like her impudence!—I set her down for the rest of the evening. 1889A. V. Carr Margaret Maliphant I. i. 11, I was such a headstrong girl that it took a deal to set me down.
c. † (a) To slacken (the strings or pegs of a musical instrument). Obs.
1565Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Chelys, Intendere chelyn, to wreste vp the stringes of the lute. Laxare chelyn, to sette downe. 1604Shakes. Oth. ii. i. 202 Oh you are well tun'd now: But Ile set downe the peggs that make this Musicke.
(b) To beat down to a shape.
1703T. N. City & C. Purchaser 193 So much of the Sheet as lies over the Cavity is set down into it with the Seaming-mallet. 1843Holtzapffel Turning I. 213 When the iron is to be set down..it is first nicked with a round fuller.
d. (a) To place so as to rest upon a surface; to put down, as upon the ground. Also absol.
a1425Cursor M. 12958 (Trin.) On an heȝe pinacle he set him doun Of þe temple. c1530H. Rhodes Bk. Nurture in Babees Bk. 67 In some places the Caruer doth vse to shew and set down,..and in some place he beareth the first dish, and..setteth it downe couered before the degree of a Knight. 1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 4 He hath set down his staf. c1600Shakes. Sonn. cxliii, As a..huswife..Sets downe her babe. 1796M. Robinson Angelina III. 180 Sir Edward sat down the candlestick. 1825Scott Betrothed x, The body was here set down before the door of the chapel. 1878F. A. Kemble Rec. Girlhood II. i. 28 If you attempt to lift or carry me down the stage, I will kick and scream till you set me down.
(b) To cause or allow to alight from a vehicle; to ‘drop’ (a person at a place). Also absol.
(Said of the person or persons in charge of or occupying the vehicle, or of the vehicle itself.)
1668–9Pepys Diary 18 Mar., My wife and I going by coach, she went with us to Holborne, where we set her down. 1694Congreve Double-Dealer v. v, My coach shall set you down. 1715Gay Let. to Pope 8 July, I have just set down Sir Samuel Garth at the Opera. 1782F. Burney Cecilia vii. vi, I knew the postilion very well... And then he told me where he had set you down. 1841Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. ii, A number of carriages full of ladies were drawing up and setting down. 1844Act 7 & 8 Vict. c. 85 §6 Such Train shall..take up and set down Passengers at every Passenger Station. 1889Mrs. Alexander Crooked Path I. iv. 110 The carriage is to come back for us after setting you down at the theatre.
e. (a) To put down in writing or in print; to put on paper; to enter in a catalogue or account; to write out, compose; to put on record; to record, relate, give an account of.
1574H. Baker Well-spring Sci. (1617) 9, I set downe 7 vnder the line against the place of penies. 1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes day ii. E viij, [In the Scriptures] there are set down two..entyer parts of rightuousnesse. 1579Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 16 The harshest penne may sette downe somewhat woorth the reading. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. i. ii. 22 You Nicke Bottome are set downe for Pyramus. 1605Bacon Adv. Learn. i. vi. §6. 28 After the Creation was finished, it is sette downe vnto vs that man was placed in the Garden to worke therein. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. i. 288 And here I am willing to set down their names. 1615R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 70, I forgot to set downe how I receaved a letter from Martin de Guinia. 1663S. Patrick Parab. Pilgrim xi. (1687) 59 You will expect..that I should set down at large the particulars of every days conference. 1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. ii. 182 A great many good Ports that are not set down in the Maps. 1712Steele Spect. No. 266 ⁋2 Her Women..are alphabetically set down in her Book. 1779J. Moore View Soc. Fr. (1789) I. ix. 62, I set down the whole scene as soon as F― left me. 1806J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (ed. 3) iii. v, My youngest boy..bethought himself of setting down a few ‘School-miseries’. 1863Cowden Clarke Shaks. Char. xvi. 393, I have always regretted that Hazlitt set down that passage. 1886Besant Childr. Gibeon ii. v, It would not be fair to set down in cold blood the things he habitually said.
† (b) to set down the or one's period: to come to a final decision. Obs.
1590Greene Never too Late Wks. (Grosart) VIII. 23 They set downe the period with a deepe sigh. 1590― Mourn. Garm. ibid. IX. 150 At last she set downe her period on the face of Alexis, thinking he was the fairest.
† (c) To fix at a certain amount. Obs.
c1593? Greene George a Greene (1599) G 1 b, George a Greene, set downe the king of Scots His ransome. 1621R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) II. 141 It being the price sett downe. 1654Bramhall Just Vind. iv. (1661) 85 Prescribed the indowments of Vicars, set down the wages of Priests.
(d) To put down, as in a schedule or table, to be performed at a certain time; † to appoint a time for the performance of (something).
1593Shakes. Rich. II, iv. i. 319 On Wednesday next, we solemnly set downe Our Coronation. 1594― Rich. III, iii. iv. 44 We haue not yet set downe this day of Triumph. 1795[C. Abbot] Jurisdiction Crt. Gt. Sessions Wales 120 The plaintiff must..set down his cause to be heard. 1819Taunton Rep. Cases Comm. Pleas VII. 85 Cases out of Chancery..cannot be set down nor heard, unless they are signed by a Serjeant. 1889W. M. Acworth Railways Eng. 203 The Great Western express..was set down to leave Didcot..3 minutes earlier. 1893Weekly Notes 68/1 After the cause had been set down for trial.
† f. To lay down (a principle), prescribe (a regulation, mode of procedure). Obs.
1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 257 Whiles I set doune directions and precepts. 1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 193 She endeauoreth to set down good lawes. 1625Bacon Ess., Simul. & Dissim. (Arb.) 508 Therfore set it downe; That an Habit of Secrecy, is both Politick, and Morall. 1641Milton Reform. ii. 47 If..the Constitution of the Church be already set down by divine prescript. 1688Lett. conc. Pres. St. Italy 30 All of that Cabale had set down this for a Rule.
†g. (a) To determine or resolve upon. Also set down one's rest (see rest n.2 8 b). Obs.
1582N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Discov. E. Ind. xxx. 73 b, Of the meeting of the King..and the Captaine generall, at which time there was set downe a Trade and Factorie. 1611Shakes. Cymb. i. iv. 178 Wee will haue these things set downe by lawfull Counsell. 1632Bp. Hall Hard Texts, Luke xiv. 29–31 [He] must..set it downe with his owne heart to undergoe resolutely all the difficulties that [etc.].
(b) pass. and intr. To be resolved, resolve. Obs. exc. north. dial. const. inf.
a1586Sidney Arcadia i. (Sommer) 20 One, that to praise well, one must first set downe with himselfe, what it is to be excellent. 1603Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 295 A man set downe to mischiefe. 1684N. Lee Constantine iii. ii. 36 If you set down t'enjoy me, Sir.
h. (a) To estimate, reckon; † in early use with obj. and compl., or with clause; now only, to regard (a person) as, take (him) for, consider (him) to be (so-and-so).
1798Geraldina I. 183, I never see a library of books with highly gilt bindings, but I set down that the owner seldom opens them. 1799S. & Ht. Lee Cant. T., Frenchman's T. (ed. 2) I. 198 The playful unconscious character she had first been set down. 1809Malkin Gil Blas i. xii. (Rtldg.) 25 The corregidor..set me down for the culprit. 1815Zeluca III. 9 He sat himself down as invulnerable. 1828Scott Aunt Marg. Mirror ii, You had best set him down a Jesuit. 1840Dickens Barn. Rudge xlviii, Those who cling to the truth and support the right cause, are set down as mad. 1872J. Hartley Yorksh. Ditties Ser. ii. 118 They used to be sat daan to be young ens 'at hadn't le'nt wit. 1889F. Barrett Under Str. Mask I. iv. 68 He would set her down at once for an impertinent..busy-body.
(b) To attribute, or put down to.
1822Lamb Elia i. Mod. Gallantry, He could not set it down to caprice. 1879C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iv. xii. 137 This, as usual, was set down to malice prepense on his side.
i. Now dial. (a) refl. To seat oneself. (Cf. 3.) † Also, to go down on one's knees: cf. sense 2.
a1300Cursor M. 14092 For-wit his fete sco sett hir dun. 1470–85Malory Arthur i. xix. 65 He sette hym doune by a fontayne. 1548Udall Erasm. Par. John vi. 1–4 Iesus, beyng sumwhat separate from the people, setteth hym down on the hyll. 1694Acc. Sev. Late Voy. (1711) i. 64 They set themselves down on the Grass. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 15 We..set us down to fish.
(b) pass. To be seated. (Cf. 4.) Also transf. to be settled in a place.
a1300Cursor M. 13495 All right þar war þai sett dun. 1575Painter Pal. Pleas. ii. iv. (1890) II. 178 The king and Ariobarzanes being sette downe at a table. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 229 When I was set downe to my meat. 1741C'tess of Hertford Corr. (1805) III. 189 When I am set peacefully down at my farm, I shall often read over your letters. 1776S. J. Pratt Pupil of Pleas. II. 74, I was just set down to the card-table at the Delmores. 1815Scott Guy M. xvi, When all should be gone to bed, or set down to cards, which is the same thing.
⁋With mixed construction.
1582T. Watson Centurie of Love (Arb.) 38 My harte is sett him downe twixt hope and feares Vpon the stonie banke of high desire. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iv. iii. 2 The King by this, is set him downe to sleepe.
(c) intr. To sit down. (Cf. 5.)
c1400Rule St. Benet (Verse) 1741 Þai sal set down And mak a schort colaciown. 1442Aberdeen Reg. (1844) I. 7 That..[he] sal cum..and set downe on his kneis. 1530Palsgr. 713/1, I set downe, I rest me on a seate, je massis. 1635Heylin Sabbath (1636) i. 124 That we should..set down with modesty,..to heare the Law. a1700Evelyn Diary 17 Sept. 1685, All the gentlemen in his traine setting down at table with him. 1720Humourist 212 Till he set down to Dinner. 1794A. M. Bennett Ellen I. 28 He had just..set down to his coffee. 1809Syd. Smith Serm. l. 43 He is ever ready..to say a grace to God, before he sets down to feast with Mammon.
† (d) to set down by = to put up with. Cf. sit v. 23 d (a).
c1618Moryson Itin. iv. (1903) 64 The Venetians..having a very rich Shipp robbed by Turkish Pyratts..were forced to sett down by the losse.
j. refl. To begin to devote oneself to.
1864J. H. Newman Apol. 243, I set myself down to my translation of St. Athanasius. 1891Blackw. Mag. CL. 173/1 In his green old age, he set himself down to write this great dictionary.
†k. intr. To be encamped; to ‘sit down’ before (a town) to besiege it. Obs. Cf. a (b).
1601Shakes. All's Well i. i. 129 Man setting downe before you, will vndermine you, and blow you vp. 1606― Ant. & Cl. iii. xiii. 168 Cæsar sets downe in Alexandria. 1621Lady M. Wroth Urania 130 Then did the braue Generall set down before Thessalonica. 1631Heylin St. George 248 Nothing to stop our march, till we set downe With all our troopes, before the Holy Towne.
l. intr. To have a direction downwards.
1747Hooson Miner's Dict. S 2 b, If a fair leading sets down under the second Sett, it may in all probability lead down to a third, and so on.
144. set forth. See simple senses and forth adv. †a. (a) To thrust forth. Obs.
a1225Leg. Kath. 827 Ah nu we beoð of se feor for þe iflut hidere, þu schalt setten sikel forð. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. 118 Some settes forth their lippes two ynches good beyonde their teeth.
† (b) To direct or send forward, set on the way.
1525Lee in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. iii. II. 75 To sett forthe the standard against thies Philistees. 1549Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 17, I have assaied to sette furth my plough to proue what I coulde do. 1590Barwick Disc. Weapons 7 My commaunder commaunds me to set foorth of my band of 200, one hundred, to keepe a straight or passage.
† (c) To arrange or dispose in a certain manner; to lay out. Obs.
c1450in Aungier Syon (1840) 373 The butler schal sett forthe the pottys..up on eche table. 1595Shakes. John ii. i. 295 W'el set forth In best appointment all our Regiments. 1651T. Barker Art of Angling (1653) 1 A man that goeth to the River..must understand..to set forth his Tackles. 1667Milton P.L. vii. 429 There the Eagle and the Stork..set forth Thir Aierie Caravan high over Sea's Flying.
†b. (a) To send out (soldiers, etc.) for service; hence, to equip, fit out (men, a fleet, a voyage). Obs.
1451[implied in setter-forth]. a1533Ld. Berners Huon lxi. 213 They sette forth a galay & .xxx. paynyms therin. 1584[see A 1]. 1603Owen Pembr. (1891) 41 They are forced to sett furthe manye to theire owne dislike, althoughe the best that cold be founde. 1626B. Jonson Staple of N. ii. v, Setting forth some Lady, Will cost as much as furnishing a Fleete. 1635R. N. tr. Camden's Hist. Eliz. i. 54 He intended to set forth a voyage into West India. a1700Evelyn Diary 29 July 1667, The charge of setting forth a fleete. 1702― Diary 3 May, Every Missioner, besides the 20 l. to set him forth, should have 50 l. per. ann. 1805Act 45 Geo. III, c. 72 §7 If such Ship or Vessel so retaken shall appear to have been, after the taking by His Majesty's Enemies, by them set forth as a Ship or Vessel of War.
† (b) To furnish with what is necessary. Obs.
c1610Women Saints 207 Haue you nothing..lying in store, wherewith her exequies may be sett forth?
† (c) To furnish, provide (entertainment). Obs.
1526Tindale John ii. 10 All men att the begynnynge sett forth goode wyne. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 330 Certain Priests, whose office it was to set forth publike playes and games in honor of their Gods. 1693Congreve Dryden's Juvenal xi. 6 When Poor Rutilus spends all his Worth, Jn hopes of setting one good Dinner forth.
†c. (a) To provide, allot, or set apart for a purpose.
1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. 358 Jn this ordour..ar mony sett furth to hald sitizenis in peice and in thair office. 1632Bp. Hall Hard Texts Matt. xxiv. 29 When as my Church shall have endured that full proportion of affliction, which I have set forth for it. 1684in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 318 The wast ground..formerly set forth for that purpose.
† (b) To put aside as tithe; = set out, 149 r (b).
1548Act 2 & 3 Edw. VI, c. 13 §2 Yf any person carrye awaye his corne or haye or his other prediall tythes before the tythe thereof be sett forthe. 1670W. Sheppard Parson's Guide 9 The Parson or Vicar is to take away his Tythes in a convenient time after they are set forth.
(c) To lay out (money); = lay forth, lay 52 c; = put forth, put 42 j.
1622Bacon Hen. VII, 208 This [sum of money] to bee set forth in Lands, of the best and most certaine Reuenue.
d. To promulgate, publish, issue (a regulation, proclamation, etc.).
1567Harman Caveat Epist. (1869) 19 Many good..lawes and actes made and setforthe in this..realme. 1583Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. 17 If the prince than doe set foorth a lawe contrarie to the lawe of God. a1700Evelyn Diary 1 Oct. 1651, Our religion, that had neither appointed nor set forth any houres of prayer or breviaries. 1711Steele Spect. No. 17 ⁋2 The Rules of the Club, as set forth, in a Table, intituled, The Act of Deformity. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. iii. iii, Lafayette..took upon him to set forth more than one deprecatory oration. 1877C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iii. vii. 64 A proclamation was set forth placing a price..on his head.
e. To publish (a literary work).
1535Coverdale Prol. to Rdr., I toke the more upon me to set forth this speciall translacyon. 1590Greene Mourn. Garment Concl., Wks. (Grosart) IX. 221, I haue..set forth many Pamphlets, full of much loue and little Scholarisme. 1628S. Ward in Ussher's Lett. 394 Dr. Jackson hath lately set forth a Book of the Attributes of God. a1700Evelyn Diary July 1645, Father Kirchner, who was then setting forth his greate work Obeliscus Pamphilius. 1779Mirror No. 21 (1787) I. 154 The latter has set forth his in print.
f. (a) To express in words, give an account of, present a statement of, esp. in order, distinctly, or in detail; to declare, expound, relate, narrate, state, describe; † to describe the features or characters of.
1530Palsgr. 713/1 Now have I shewed you in a generaltie the contentes of the chapiter, but to set forthe the partyculers requyreth a further layser. 1548–9(Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Commun., Pr. Whole St. Ch., That thei maie..set furthe thy true and liuely worde. 1549Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 38 One that wyl set furth papistrie aswel as him selfe wyll do. 1586A. Day Eng. Secretary ii. (1595) 100 As if in setting foorth our most gracious Soueraigne, wee should say: That Goddesse like adorned with high aspectes,..she issued foorth. 1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie (Arb.) 41 They set forth the dolefull falles of infortunate and afflicted Princes. a1660N. Rogers (title) The Rich Fool, set forth in an exposition on that parable. Luke 12, 16–22. 1688Lett. conc. Pres. St. Italy 31 A Sect of men that were set forth as Monsters. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables lxxx. 78 In These Three Fables, is set forth the Vanity of Unnatural Wishes, and Foolish Prayers. 1711Steele Spect. No. 54 ⁋3 A Treatise, wherein I shall set forth the Rise and Progress of this famous Sect. 1746Hervey Medit. (1818) 151 Even fancy has her merit when she sets forth in such pleasing imagery, the crucified Jesus. 1780Coxe Russ. Disc. 254 The instructions given to the Captain set forth that a private ship had in 1762 found there a commodious haven. 1801Farmer's Mag. Jan. 80 An advertisement..inserted in some of the public papers, setting forth the miseries of the poor. 1865Kingsley Herew. i, Hereward, whose history this tale sets forth. 1872C. E. Maurice Stephen Langton i. 21 One after another he set forth the hideous corruptions which were growing up. 1893National Observer 14 Jan. 201/1 He invites the fault-finders to set forth their grievances.
(b) To represent in art. ? Obs.
1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. viii. 8 b, I haue thought good..too sette foorth vnto you, a woman as shee goeth in the streete. 1662Evelyn Sculptura 38 But to proceed, Albert [Durer] being very young set forth our Lady, some designes of Horses after the life, [etc.].
g. To adorn, decorate. Now rare.
1530Palsgr. 713/1 This blacke velvet gowne setteth fort this lady verye well. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xviii. 51 b, [The gate] is..well set forth, with letters of gold, and leaues of diuers colours. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts Ezek. xxiii. 6 The Assyrians..which were rich and proudly set forth. 1889Herring & Ross Irish Cousin I. i. v. 62 Heavy mahogany tables, each duly set forth with books and daguerrotypes.
†h. To further the progress or advancement of; to promote, advance. Obs.
1528More Dyaloge iv. Wks. 262/2 To confesse..what he had done for the settinge forth of that secte. 1542[implied in setter-forth]. 1551T. Wilson Logic L j, The very cause of thynges, is such a one that if it be practised in very diede, and set forth with other naturall causes, the effect must nedes folowe.
†i. To praise, commend. Obs.
1565Cooper Thesaurus, Commendare, to prayse: to sette forth. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iii. v. 95 Ies. Nay, let me praise you while I haue a stomacke? Lor. No pray thee, let it serue for table talke... Iessi. Well, Ile set you forth. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. ii. §2 To set forth a person by that which in its self is no matter of commendation.
†j. To exhibit, display, show forth. Obs.
1551Robinson tr. More's Utopia i. B j b, Onles I wolde..set furth the brightnes of the sonne wyth a candell. Ibid. ii. S ij b, Wretches..whose pouerty she [Pride] might..encrease by gorgiously setting furthe her riches. 1593Nashe Christ's T. 69 b, Thys woman disdaines..that any should sette forth the porte and maiestie, in gate and behauiour like vnto her. 1611Second Maiden's Trag. 190 Fortunes are but the outsides of true worth, it is the mynde that sets his master forth. 1667Milton P.L. vi. 310 To set forth Great things by small.
k. intr. To set out on a journey, against an enemy, in pursuit, etc.
c1400Destr. Troy 4604 Hast you to saile; Sette furthe to þe se. 1530Palsgr. 713/1 Whan sette you forthe on your journay, and God wyll. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 294 They set forth that were appoynted to breake the array of the Archers. 1592Kyd Sp. Trag. i. iv. 28, I with my hand set foorth against the Prince. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. iii. iii. 13 My willing loue, The rather by these arguments of feare Set forth in your pursuite. 1675–6City Mercury 10–17 Feb. 2/1 Exeter Coach... Sets forth every Monday morning from the Sarazens head Inn. 1718Atterbury Serm. (Acts xxvi. 26) (1734) I. 4 Just as if it [Christianity] were now in its Infant State, and newly setting forth in the World. 1798C. Smith Yng. Philos. IV. 76 Your fair Columbian,..the moon being at full..sat forth alone. 1845Ford Handbk. Spain i. 55 Before they set forth on their day's journey. 1890W. E. Norris Misadventure I. vi. 88 The two young people set forth for the village. 1894E. Scott Dancing 110 If the partners join right and left hands in setting forth.
145. set forward († forwards). a. (a) To carry, send, or thrust forward. to set one's (best) foot forward: see foot n. 29, 29 b.
c1430Art of Nombryng (E.E.T.S.) 10 Sette forwarde the figures of the nombre multiplying by oo difference. a1547in Fosbrooke Econ. Mon. Life (1796) 83 When hir hors letyr was app[ar]eled..she was set forwards aft[er] this manner. 1555Eden Decades (Arb.) 70 Settinge forewarde with their ores the brigantine. a1617Bayne Lect. (1634) 202 That man neuer yet set right foote forward in the way to the Kingdome of God.
(b) To put (a clock) on.
16..Middleton, etc. Old Law iii. i, I would have you set forward the Clock. 1848H. Miller First Impr. Eng. vii. (1857) 115 One of his companions..set forward the house-clock.
† (c) To increase, aggravate. Obs.
1611Bible Job xxx. 13 They set forward my calamitie. 1684Burnet tr. More's Utopia 24 Luxury likewise breaks in apace upon you, to set forward your Poverty and Misery.
b. To assist (a person) in the way of progress; to help on (a matter, plan, etc.); to advance, promote.
1530Palsgr. 713/2, I set forwarde a person, or avaunce him to promocyon. Jaduance. 1540Cranmer Let. in Misc. Writ. (Parker Soc.) 401 To set forwards whatsoever was your Majesty's will. 1561Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 193 For..setting fordwart of the commone effaris of the cuntre. a1617Bayne Lect. (1634) 204 Walking after a potion taken..setteth forward the working of physicke taken. 1662Bk. Com. Prayer, Pr. Ember Weeks, That..they may..set forward the salvation of all men. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §7 note, To set the workmen forward..I have been obliged to continue on board our store vessel..frequently a week. 1811Simeon Let. in Carus Life (1847) 308 Some of the young men..were endeavouring to set forward a Bible Society.
c. To put forward, promulgate; to advance (an opinion).
15601st Bk. Discipl. Ch. Scot. (1621) 47 We leave it..to be weighed by your honours wisdome, and set forwards by your authority. 1651Hobbes Leviath. iii. xl. 252 To set forward..such doctrine as was agreeable to Moses his doctrine. 1890Universal Rev. Sept. 64 The theory now set forward.
d. intr. To go forward, set out, start.
1530Palsgr. 713/2, I set forward, as an armye..dothe. Je me auance. a1548Hall Chron., Rich. III, 12 The erle..aventured..to set forwarde hym selfe by lande. 1603Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 670 With which fleet..[he] set forward against the Portingals. 1632Lithgow Trav. ix. 411, I set forward through the vaile of Ombria. 1749Fielding Tom Jones xvii. v. (1840) 248 Mrs. Miller set forwards to her son-in-law's lodgings. 1815Jane Austen Emma xiii, He..set forward at last in his own carriage. 1889‘M. Gray’ Repr. Annesley III. vi. i. 129 He..set forward again after supper.
146. set in. a. (a) See simple trans. senses and in adv.; to enter (a name); to insert, put in; to engraft, implant; † to put in office or power, etc.
1388Wyclif Rom. xi. 23 Ȝhe, and thei schulen be set yn [Vulg. inserentur], if thei dwellen not in vnbileue. c1450in Aungier Syon (1840) 361 To sette in the names of sustres and brethren professed in the register of the chapter. 1487Cely Papers (Camden) 169 They hawe dischargyd all the old wytt [= magistrates] of Bruges the whych was sett yn be the Kyng. 1562Child-Marriages 13 The said James Smith toke a Lease of his part of the Tenement, and set-in the said Ellin to have hit after his decesse. 1563–4in Swayne Churchw. Acc. Sarum (1896) 109 John Atkyns to blo y⊇ organs when he set in y⊇ pypes vj d. 1587Golding De Mornay i. (1592) 6 When a member that was out of ioynt is set in again. 1598R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. xii. xi. (1622) 172 [They] set in Companies to robbe and spoile [immittere latronum globos]. 1662Pepys Diary 5 Aug., At Greenwich set in Captain Cocke. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. ii. 17 Set in your Lee-braces. 1709Tatler No. 37 ⁋2 Beau Slimber a Londoner, undertook to keep up with Trips, a whelp just set in. 1808Lady's Econ. Assist. 1 The worked part of the frock body must be set in quite plain. 1859Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XX. ii. 364 To prevent any escape of the manure while turning [the plough] and setting in again. 1888Co-op. News 16 June 619 If the clothes are placed in cold water out of the boil the fabric will contract, and so set in the dirt. 1888‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Childr. xii, I want the ring to be quite plain and heavy, with three stones set in level with the gold. 1889‘M. Gray’ Repr. Annesley I. ii. ii. 158 Having now finished setting in a row of young plants.
(b) absol. (See quot.)
1530Palsgr. 714/1, I set in to the oven, as bakers do their breed... We shal nat set in tyll to morowe thre of the clocke.
(c) To put (a vessel) in towards the shore. Also absol.
1887Pall Mall Gaz. 22 Feb. 10/2 The ship was set in towards the land by a current. 1891F. W. Robinson Her Love & His Life III. vii. i. 236 ‘Set in to shore,’ cried Kerts, roughly.
(d) To draw or gather in.
1858Ladies' Cabinet Jan. 54/1 The skirt..is set in at the waist, in large fluted or hollow plaits.
b. † (a) To direct into the fight. Obs.
1375Barbour Bruce ix. 610 Schir Eduardis cumpany, Quhen thai had thrillit thame hastely, Set stoutly in the hedis agane.
† (b) to set in foot: to enter upon an undertaking.
1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. 78 b, Whoso hath ones stepped foorth, and sette in foote to take charge of a commen weale. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 122 b, It belongeth..to the Emperour..to set in foote in counselles. 1562Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 169 He hath set in foote, thyngs by wyt to be sped.
† (c) ‘To put in a way to begin’ (J.). Obs.
1697Collier Ess. Mor. Subj. ii. 48, I think I had better decline the Task, than injure the Argument. However, if you please to assist, and set me In, I will endeavour to recollect my self for a short Conference.
†c. intr. To make one's way into the fight, among the enemy; hence, to offer fight, to intervene in behalf of a person or in support of a cause.
1450Merlin xxix. 588 Whan thei saugh the hoste comynge thei merveiled fro whens so moche peple myght come. Neuertheles thei sette in a-monge hem. 1630Sanderson Serm. ad Magistr. i. (1674) II. 258 A rich opportunity..to set in for Gods cause. 1656Baxter Reformed Pastor 73 It is our duty to set in for the assistance of these,..to help them to a conquest of their corruptions. 1665Sanderson Eight Cases Consc. (1674) 85 Princes may see cause to set in for their own safety and interest. 1692Ray Disc. ii. iv. (1693) 145 May not the Stoicks here set in and help us out at a dead lift?
d. To set to work, begin (upon something); esp. followed by to, for. Also pass. Obs. exc. dial.
1608Willet Hexapla Exod. 495 Where the fire setteth in, the whole is spoiled. 1650Trapp Comm. Lev. xiii. 6 God also will set in and wash such with the blood of his son. 1693Tate Dryden's Juvenal ii. (1697) 30 To behold your unnerv'd Sex set in To Needle-Work. 1700Congreve Way of World iv. i, Sir Wilfull is set in to drinking, madam, in the parlour. 1711Steele Spect. No. 24 ⁋1 A worthy old Batchelor, who sets in for his Dose of Claret every Night. 1764Museum Rusticum II. xxix. 93 To let the first mower and his attendants set-in well before the second follow. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxv, They are all set in to feasting yet. 1835Moore Mem. (1856) VII. 82, [I] set in hard at work at the remainder of my volume. 1837Dickens Let. ? Dec. (1965) I. 346, I was in the humour for writing last night—..was regularly set in—when there came a double knock. 1842Dickens Amer. Notes ix, I go upon the hurricane-deck, and set in for two hours of hard walking up and down. 1893Field 11 Feb. 191/2 It set in to freeze.
e. To begin, become prevalent: chiefly of the weather entering upon a particular state.
a1700Evelyn Diary 8 Feb. 1684, The weather was set in to an absolute thaw and raine. 1765Foote Commissary iii. (1782) 61 The latter end of the year, when the winter sets in. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) N 2 b, When the western monsoons set in. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair lx, Politics set in a short time after dessert. 1856Hawthorne Engl. Note-bks. (1870) II. 167 The evening set in misty and obscure. 1857Miller Elem. Chem., Org. (1862) 137 Though no fermentation had set in. 1890Blackw. Mag. CXLVIII. 32/1 Sooner or later a reaction must set in.
f. Of a current or wind: To flow or blow towards the shore.
1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 193 The Current of the Flood set in close by the Shore. 1815J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 46 The westerly winds setting in on this coast. 1821Scott Pirate i, The current of a strong and furious tide,..setting in betwixt the Orkney and Zetland Islands. 1831Mirror XVII. 102/1 The tide sets in on this part of the coast with extraordinary velocity.
147. set off. a. See simple trans. senses and off adv.: † (a) To take away, remove. Obs.
1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. i. 145 Euery thing set off, That might so much as thinke you Enemies.
† (b) To alienate. Obs.
1632Bp. Hall Hard Texts 1 John iii. 15 If any mans heart bee set upon the world, it is set off from God. 1651― Soliloquies vi, Do Thou set off my heart from all these earthly vanities.
† (c) ? To discharge, cancel. Obs.
1642C. Vernon Consid. Exch. 27 Such [sums] as shall appeare to be discharged or set off by such matter of Record. Ibid. 30 The Clerk of the Pipe is not to discharge or set off any part of the Sheriffes charge, but by Tallies to be leavied in his Majesties Receipt of Exchequer.
(d) To put (a person) off. Sc.
1768Ross Helenore 75 But think na, man, that I'll be set off sae, For I'll hae satisfaction ere I gae.
(e) To stop the working of. Sc.
1728Ramsay Monk & Miller's Wife 51 Gae warm ye, and crack with our dame, Till I set aff the mill. 1823Scott Peveril xxi, The goodman has set off the mill, to come to wait on you himself.
(f) To set up in type separately. ? nonce-use.
1770Luckombe Hist. Printing 375 A very close line in the Copy, which we set off, to see how it comes into the measure made to m's.
(g) To let. Sc.
1799J. Robertson Agric. Perth 516 He..set off five new farms, formerly waste land.
(h) To cause to go off or explode, let off.
1881I. of Wight Gloss., Zet off,..to explode gunpowder. 1882Jamieson's Sc. Dict. s.v., He set off the cannon. 1898Engineering Mag. XVI. 69 A spark..that might set off the explosives.
b. To start off, give (a person or thing) a start; to send off into a fit of laughter, etc.
a1625Fletcher Hum. Lieut. iii. vi, I seek a brave hand To set me off in death. 1828H. Steuart Planter's Guide (ed. 2) 478 It is extremely important for the success of Trees, to possess a certain degree of vigour in the outset, or to be what is technically called, ‘well set off.’ 1830F. A. Kemble Rec. Girlhood (1878) II. 163 The carriage..was set off at its utmost speed. 1863Mrs. Gaskell Sylvia's L. iii, To divert her attention from the subject which had set her off into hysterics. 1865Lever Luttrell xix. 132 One of those practised laughs, which, by setting others off, frequently cut short an unpleasant discussion. 1886Tip Cat xxii. 301 Her questions set Dick off thinking. 1889‘M. Gray’ Repr. Annesley III. v. ii. 44 He..set Mr. Rickman off upon one of his interminable monologues.
c. To apportion or assign to a particular purpose; to portion off.
1687Burnet Contin. Reply to Varillas 60 The appointments that were set off for her. 1828–32Webster s.v., To set off a portion of an estate. 1842Penny Mag. 8 Oct. 395/2 A portion of the stabling is set off as a ‘sick-box’ for the invalids.
d. (a) To mark or measure off (a certain distance) on a surface; to lay off (the lines of a ship).
a1647in Archæologia XII. 250 They found by due trial all lines [of the ship] to be truly set off. 1683Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xi. ⁋1 The varied Measure must be set off from the top of the Cilinder. 1712J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 95 Set off 30 Fathom on the Side BD. 1774M. Mackenzie Marit. Surv. i. iii. 11 Taking the Length of XY from a Scale of equal Parts, set it off from X to Y. 1830Hedderwick Mar. Archit. 201 The square measurements of the cant-timbers are set off on the body-plan of the schooner foreward and abaft. 1876Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 335/1 This space is formed by setting off demi⁓gorges of 30 yards. 1891Chamb. Jrnl. 20 June 400/1 If three hundred and sixty separate degrees be set-off from the centre of a perfect circle.
(b) To place along a surface at definite intervals.
1850T. Inkersley Inq. Styles Archit. France 311 All these windows being set off on the outer face of the wall.
(c) To mark off, separate from the context.
1824L. Murray Eng. Gram. (ed. 5) I. 399 When adjuncts or circumstances are of importance,..they may be set off by commas.
e. (a) To set in relief, make prominent or conspicuous by contrast.
1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. ii. 239 My reformation glittering o're my fault, Shall shew more goodly,..Then that which hath no foyle to set it off. 1633G. Herbert Temple, Foil ii, God hath made starres the foil To set off vertues; griefs to set off sinning. 1634Milton Comus 801 She fables not, I feel that I do fear Her words set off by som superior power. 1656Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. i. xix. (1674) 20 Picture-drawers do the better set off the Figures they draw, by dark shadows. 1693Locke Educ. §93 (1699) 148 Good qualities are the Substantial Riches of the Mind, but 'tis good Breeding sets them off. 1778Sir J. Reynolds Disc. viii. (1876) 454 That the blue, the grey, or the green colours..be used only to support and set off these warm colours. 1825New Monthly Mag. XVI. 121 His raiment served to set his destitution off. 1859Geo. Eliot A. Bede ix, The primrose is set off by its nest of green. 1890Lippincott's Mag. Jan. 23 Thick brown hair..fell down on her shoulders and set off the margins of her smooth pure cheeks.
absol.1611Shakes. Cymb. iii. iii. 13 It is Place, which lessen's, and sets off.
(b) intr. To form a contrast (with).
1652Bk. Drawing, etc. 34 What Colours set off best together. 1735Dict. Polygraph. II. H h 4, Blues set off with yellows, reds, whites, browns, and blacks. Greens set off well with purples and reds.
f. To show to advantage, enhance, embellish.
1611Shakes. Cymb. i. vi. 170 He hath a kinde of Honor sets him off, More then a mortall seeming. 1628Earle Microcosm. lv. (Arb.) 79 No quality sets a man off like this. 1705Addison Italy 439 Claudian has set off his Description of the Eridanus, with all the Poetical Stories that have been made of it. 1747H. Glasse Cookery xvi. 142 Fairy Butter... This is a pretty Thing to set off a Table at Supper. 1749Smollett Gil Blas iii. v. (1782) I. 255, I adorned myself to the best of my power, the barber lending a helping hand, in order to set me off. 1821Scott Kenilw. xix, Thou seest how well the French hose set off the leg and knee. 1849Ruskin Sev. Lamps iv. §42. 133 The sculpture is approved and set off by the colour. 1891Temple Bar July 445 Dress helped to set off her many charms.
g. To give a flattering description of, commend, praise.
a1625Fletcher Hum. Lieut. iii. i, Set 'em off Lady I mean sell 'em. 1706Pope Let. to Wycherley 10 Apr., The great Dealers in Wit, like those in Trade, take least pains to set off their Goods. 1785[R. Graves] Eugenius II. xviii. 118 Young Scrip, whom Mrs. Banks was going to set off as a young man of great expectations. 1828–32Webster, To set off... To give a pompous or flattering description of; to eulogize; to recommend; as to set off a character.
h. (a) To take into account by way of compensation or equivalent; to put in the balance (against something); spec. in Law, to allow or recognize as a counter-claim. Also absol.
1735Act 8 Geo. II, c. 24 §5 The Debt intended to be set off, shall be pleaded in Bar, in which Plea shall be shewn how much is truly and justly due on either side. 1775F. Buller Introd. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 2) 179 A Debt by simple Contract might by the former Act have been set off against a Specialty Debt. 1809Malkin Gil Blas ii. v. (Rtldg.) 56 We may set off their drugs against our specifics. 1818J. Campbell Nisi Prius Cases II. 586 The defendant had therefore a right to set off this loss against the premiums. 1819Taunton Rep. Cases Comm. Pleas VII. 481 The Defendants' guaranty does not so make the Defendants parties to the contract, that they can set off. 1880Muirhead Gaius iv. 64 He is required to set off his customer's counter-claim. 1891Sat. Rev. 15 Aug. 192/1 The produce is set off against the advance, the balance is fairly struck.
(b) To counterbalance, compensate.
1749Fielding Tom Jones v. i, Thus the beauty of day, and that of summer, are set off by the horrors of night and winter. 1819Scott Ivanhoe xl, The merry-men of the forest set off the building of a cottage with the burning of a castle. 1893Times 8 May 7/6 The loss feared in one branch of trade would be set off by a gain in another branch.
(c) intr. To be a set-off against.
1824Examiner 152/2 Prices neither have risen, nor is there the least prospect of their rising, to a rate that will set off against the taxes..that burden the land.
i. (a) intr. To start on a journey or course; transf. to start (doing something).
1774Trinket 91, I sat off in immediate pursuit of them. 1816Scott Bl. Dwarf xi, They mounted..and..set off at a round gallop. 1823Southey Hist. Penins. War I. 473 Messengers set off to solicit succour from Badajoz. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair iii, They both set off in a fit of laughter. 1888‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Childr. viii, He..set off to go home alone.
(b) To take off for a leap. rare.
1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) III. 95 A mark from whence the rivals were to set off on their leap.
†j. To have a certain appearance. Obs.
1601B. Jonson Poet. Epil. 20, I, now, but thinke, how poore their spight sets off, Who,..Haue nothing left, but the vnsau'ry smoake Of their blacke vomit, to vpbrayd themselues.
k. Printing. To soil the next leaf or sheet: said of the ink or of the printed page.
1683Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xi. ⁋23 Trane-Oyl..hinders the Inck from drying; so that when the Work comes to the Binders, it Sets off. 1777in N. & Q. Ser. ix. V. (1900) 189/1 [The binder] is particularly desired to beat the work before he places the cuts, in order to prevent the letterpress from setting off on the engravings. 1823J. Badcock Dom. Amusem. 27 Some printers' works ‘set off’, as they term it, when the ink of one page leaves its impression upon the opposite page. 1883R. Haldane Workshop Rec. Ser. ii. 343/2 An undue proportion of lampblack in the ink will cause it to smear,..and to ‘set-off’ during book⁓binding operations.
l. In the pianoforte, (of the hoppers) to make the proper set-off.
1853W. Sandilands in Abridgm. Specif. Patents, Music (1871) 187, I..claim an improvement through the same means in the setting off of the hopper. 1885Lock Workshop Rec. Ser. iv. 281/1 Blocking is caused by the hoppers not ‘setting off’.
148. set on. a. lit. To place on or upon something: see simple senses and on adv.: with special implication, e.g. to set (a vessel) on the fire; † to put on (an article of clothing); † to hang (a door).
c975Rushw. Gosp. Mark v. 23 Sete on honda ofer hiæ. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 197 He ne mihte finden on al his licame hwar he his finger on sette bute uppen wunden. c1205Lay. 311 Brutus sette on his flo. c1420Avow. Arth. xxxi, Downe thay take that birde bryȝte, Sette hur one, behinde the knyȝte. c1460J. Russell Bk. Nurture 987 in Babees Bk. 183 But furst sett on his sokkis. 1522in Archæologia XXV. 450 Item pd..for settyng on of a horne & trymmyng of yor long bowe..iiij d. 1535Coverdale 2 Esdras iii. 6 They..set on the dores, lockes & barres of it. 1582Stanyhurst æneis i. 213 Soom doe set on caldrons, oothers doe kendel a bauen. 1657R. Ligon Barbadoes (1673) 38 Another course [of a meal] is set on. a1700Evelyn Diary 7 Mar. 1690, To protect, set on, and bring off, those who should manage the fire-ships. 17..in Ritson's Gammer Gurton's Garl. (1783) 52 Is John smith within?.. Can he set on a shoe? 1808Lady's Econ. Assist. 22 A welt should be set on to the waist at the back. c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 140 To relieve, to make a sett near to another that cannot be sett on any more till it is taken in on each side. 1859Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XX. ii. 330 The tail is not neatly set on. 1880Plain Knitting 11 Knitting can hardly be set on too loosely. 1884Live Stock Jrnl. 1 Aug. 107/1 A..Setter Dog, good all round, with the exception of his ears, which are set on too high.
†b. To set on foot, instigate, promote. Obs.
1639Rouse Heav. Univ. vii. (1702) 94 They behold the shape of Folly of their own setting on. c1640H. Bell Luther's Colloq. Mens. (1652) 334 The Emperor sent his Embassador to John Frederick, Prince Elector of Saxon, to set on and to further a Council. 1688Lett. conc. Pres. St. Italy 158 The Son of him that set on the Massacres of the Protestants. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) l. 262 The King was as earnest in the setting it on, as the Duke was in opposing it.
c. (a) To urge (an animal, esp. a dog) to attack.
1592Nashe P. Penilesse B 4 What Cur wil not bawle..when he is set on by his maister? 1610Shakes. Temp. iv. i. Stage Dir., Enter diuers Spirits in shape of Dogs and Hounds, hunting them about: Prospero and Ariel setting them on. 1890Mrs. A. MacLeod Austral. Girl I. xxii. 259, I found him setting a puppy on to some sheep.
(b) To instigate, incite, urge on (a person) to do something.
1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. lviii. 32 b, By the settyng on of Sir Willyam Bayllule. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus i. i. D ij b, The vndewe loue he hath to hym selfe..setteth him on to take this way. Ibid. D iij b, He hath priuyly or by secrete menes stered the, or set y⊇ on (to do this thinge). 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 137 Beinge ayded by the Byshop of the same Citie, or set on rather. 1616R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 115 The chirurgion is a prating fello, and I think sett on per others. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 150 My Master was now bent against me, his Wife had set him on. 1743T. Morris Serm. vii. 184 Whether they went out of their..choice, or were set on by others. 1781D. Williams tr. Voltaire's Dram. Wks. II. 286 The devil set me on to marry you. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxxiv, Woman, thou art set on to this. 1892Gd. Words May 300/2 It was..the boys—they set us on to ask.
† (c) To carry through to a conclusion; to drive home. Obs.
1596Nashe Saffron Walden Wks. 1910 III. 123 Speaking to him, that he shuld not go about to answere me, except he set it soundly on. 1653H. More Antid. Ath. App. iii. (1712) 186, I confess the Objection is very ingenious, and set on home.
d. † (a) To advance, send forward. Obs.
1601Shakes. Jul. C. ii. i. 331 Set on your foote, And..I follow you. Ibid. v. iii. 108 Let vs to the Field, Labio and Flauio set our Battailes on.
(b) To set in motion, set going. Also absol.
1855Bain Senses & Int. i. i. §3 By what influence do we draw our first breath, or set on the first stroke of the heart? 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Set on, the order to set the engine going on board a steamer.
e. To start (a person) doing something. Cf. set off, 147 b.
1854J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) II. xxxi. 58 It is well known to be no easy matter to check the people when they are once set on. 1866Mrs. H. Wood St. Martin's Eve xxi. II. 86, I have coughed a great deal lately..and the coming in from the cold air to the atmosphere of your stifling stove, has set me on now.
f. To set or appoint (a person) to do something; = put on, put v. 46 l.
1852Thackeray Esmond i. x, He was set on to read Latin. 1856Househ. Words 21 June 546/2 Frazer..set on two or three extra gangs of navvies.
g. (a) intr. To advance, go forward.
c1400Sowdone Bab. 2555 On thay set with herte stronge. c1450Merlin xxii. 383 Loke ye sette on alle to-geder ther as ye shull here an horne blowe right high and lowde. 16051st Pt. Ieronimo iii. iv. 6 Set on to Spaine in most triumphant measure. 1611Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 682 We set on..to th' Sea-side. 1808Scott Marm. iv. iii, Marmion Gave..the signal to set on.
† (b) To make a move for. Obs.
1616Sir T. Roe Jrnl. Embassy (1899) 342 When I deliuer the Next guiftes to the Mogoll..I will sett on anew for a formall contract.
(c) To begin working.
1889W. Westall Birch Dene II. iii. 34 All of you to your places; the engine is setting on again. Ibid. xi. 173 Nearly an hour after the engine had ‘set on’.
h. To make an attack. Now dial. in set on at or to = attack, assail.
1670Eachard Cont. Clergy 120 Countrey People..read not so many Gazetts, as a Citizen, nor concern themselves where the Turk, or King of France sets on next. 1862Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Hallib. iii. vi, His sister..set on at the wife, saying it was her fault.
149. set out.
* a. See simple senses and out adv.; to lay out, spread out; to cause to project or extend; to display (a flag); etc.
1573in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 193 Setting owte & Taking in againe..sundry kyndes of Apparell. 1576G. Pettie Petite Pallace 54 Setting out flag of defyance. 1592Timme Ten Engl. Lepers vii. H 2 b, Olde age draweth in the eyes, setteth out the teeth. 1614Gorges Lucan viii. 331 The light That Pharus tower sets out at night. 1641J. Jackson True Evang. T. iii. 190 Let us a little set out the bounder-stones of this disquisition upon which we are fallen. 1698Farquhar Love & Bottle i. i, The Enemy approaches, we must set out our false Colours. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 121 How many [sc. pots] crack'd by the..Heat of the Sun, being set out too hastily. 1888‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Childr. xii, The jeweller..set out some trays of pretty inexpensive brooches. 1897C. T. Davis Manuf. Leather (ed. 2) 250 The side having been stuffed, and next ‘set out’..the next step in the process of manufacturing upper leather is that of whitening.
b. To spread (leather) on a flat surface while wet, in order that it may dry free from wrinkles.
1885C. T. Davis Manuf. Leather xxiii. 423 The side having been stuffed, and next ‘set out’..the next step in the process of manufacturing upper leather is that of whitening. 1909H. G. Bennett Manuf. Leather xxi. 261 The butts are now struck out, ‘set out’ or ‘pinned’. 1946J. W. Waterer Leather in Life, Art & Industry ii. ii. 147 The butts are piled up to drain... They are ‘set out’ to remove wrinkles and smooth the grain. 1969T. C. Thorstensen Pract. Leather Technol. v. 70 After bleaching, the bends are wrung and sent to an oil wheel... This process usually takes about one hour. The leather is ‘set out’ to smooth and dry.
†c. To set in relief, set off. Obs.
1577Whetstone Remembr. Life Gascoigne vii, Euil sets out good, as far as black dooth white. 1611Second Maiden's Trag. 2225 The Body..drest vp in black veluet which setts out the pailenes of the handes and face. 1658Sanderson Graphice 48 Light and Shadows forward, set out any Painting outwards.
†d. To expose. Obs.
1579Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. xxiii. 404/2 That our life seemeth to be set out to Sathan [orig. exposee à Satan]. 1611Cotgr. Exposé..set out, put or layed open to.
e. To accompany or escort on the way. dial.
1725P. Walkden Diary (1866) 7, I rose and set son John out towards the coalpit. 1803R. Anderson Cumbld. Ball. 57 Young Susy half consenting To set me out a mile o' geate.
** † f. (a) To fit out (a ship, fleet) for a voyage; to equip for an expedition; to send out (forces), fit out (an expedition). Obs.
a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1047, Man sette ut .ix. litsmanna scipa. 1557in Sel. Pleas Crt. Admiralty (1897) II. 31 Another shippe of warre..furnished manned and victualyd and sett out to the seas by Walter Rawleighe. 1601Hakluyt tr. Galvano's Discov. 20, I know not whether the charge of that voiage was theirs or the kings. But by whom soeuer it was set out [etc.]. 1603Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 783 marg., The Christian Princes set out a fleet for the recouery of Tripolis. 1605Stow Ann. 1402 The Citizens of London set out 500 souldiers into Ireland, with their furniture. a1642Suckling Goblins i. i. Wks. 1874 II. 11 Why does not then the state Set out some forces, and suppress them? 1707Sloane Jamaica I. 1 Christopher Columbus first solicited the king of Portugal to set him out. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 313 The fleet could not be set out that year.
(b) To equip or furnish with.
1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. i. 114 Set out and furnished with bowes and arrowes. 1725Fam. Dict. s.v. Goose, They set out Arrows with its Feathers.
† (c) To dress for going out. Obs.
1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., To set out a Child in order to go abroad, habiller un Enfant pour sortir.
† (d) To put out (a boat). Obs.
1694tr. Martens' Voy Spitzbergen in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. ii. 128 They set out their Long-boats after the Whale.
†g. With immaterial obj.: To cause to go forth, send forth; to give currency or vogue to; to issue, promulgate. Obs.
c1100O.E. Chron. (MS. D) an. 1052, & setton stefna ut to Lundene & man bead þa folce þider ut ofer ealne þisne norðende. 1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. 197 For epitaphies are..not set out till the parties bee deceassed. 1548in Wodrow Soc. Misc. (1844) 9 This confescion was fyrste wrytten and set out by the ministers of the churche and congregacion of Sweuerland. 1560Maitl. Club Misc. III. 216 Traditiones of men sett owt to thirle the consciences of Goddis people. 1687Burnet Contin. Reply to Varillas 83 The Articles of our Religion were agreed on, and set out by Authority. a1700Evelyn Diary 23 Dec. 1695, The Parliament.. setting out a proclamation prohibiting the currency of half crowns. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 500 The King set out a declaration for satisfying his people.
†h. to set out one's (a, the) throat: to cry aloud, shout. Obs. (Cf. set up, 154 c.)
1574tr. Marlorat in Marbeck's Bk. Notes (1581) 1108 Set out thy throte & cry. 1602Middleton Blurt ii. i. C, I should cut your throate..but that I know you would set out a throate. 1610B. Jonson Alch. v. iii, His gag is melted, And now he sets out the throte. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 263 She thereupon began to set out so loud a throat, as if (like a pig) I had offered to sticke her.
†i. To exhibit (a play) on the stage; to exhibit (public games). Obs.
1540Palsgr. Acolastus Prol. B ij b, That same wyll we nowe sette out before you (with personages) in our play. 1565Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Comparo, To sette out playes with great charges. 1579Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 29 Romulus..set out playes to gather the fayre women togither. 1600Holland Livy xxvii. 635 A decree was graunted, that C. Hostilius the Pretour should vow, and set out the games and playes of Apollo.
†j. To put into print, publish (a literary work).
1559Morwyng Evonym. Pref. A j, This Arte was..wryten in our Dutch tung and first set out by him. a1568R. Ascham Scholem. ii. Wks. (1904) 285 Which booke I haue in writyng, and is not yet set out in print. 1612J. Chamberlain in Crt. & Times Jas. I (1848) I 214, I hear of some verses are set out or given to some few, but not publicly sold.
†k. To declare, proclaim, show forth, reveal. Obs.
a1540Barnes Wks. (1573) 293/2 That..the declaration and setting out of his worde. 1547Harpsfield in Homilies, Mis. Mankind ***j b, He is the God, whiche..setteth out his charitie and exceadyng loue toward vs. 1565Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Dico, To employe his studie to set out ones prayse. 1583Leg. Bp. St. Androis 646 Robert Melwene of Carnebie, That with that bischop went about, To sett his feinyeit falsett out. 1648Gage West Ind. 77 If I should not set out to the publick view the worth of her people. 1665Manley Grotius' Low C. Wars 545 If any more eminent matter of Valour or Policy happen, there is given a fair occasion..to set out the Authors or Inventors thereof. 1681H. More Expos. Dan. 233 Then will this Antichrist by a publick writing be exhibited or set out to the world in his colours.
†l. To express, denote. Obs.
1628T. Spencer Logick 4 The word art, doth set out the generall nature of Logick. 1631Gouge God's Arrows iii. §53. 284 The word whereby the Evangelist setteth out consent in prayer. 1684H. More Answ. 41 The Kings of the Earth..calling to the Rocks and Mountains..sets out the fear of those great Men.
*** m. To display (wares) for sale.
13..K. Alis. 7077 Ac theygh the marchaunt sette out his ware, In the stret. 1530Palsgr. 715/1 This felowe hath set out his marchandyse to the shewe. 1611Cotgr., Mangonner, to..set out vnto the eye sale things. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 198 All vertues become lesse prized in them, who set them out to sale. 1829Examiner 370/1 Shop-keepers set out their goods for the purpose of attracting the gaze.
† n. (a) To display to advantage, put forward to attract attention, make attractive. Obs.
1586T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. i. Ep. Ded., Seeing they are sent to edifie others, and not to set out themselves. 1605Chapman All Fools v. ii. 195 As for your mother, shee..could set out her taile with as good grace as any shee in Florence. 1619W. Whately God's Husb. i. (1622) 102 Hee that is apt to set out himselfe, and cannot brooke another that goeth not so farre as himselfe: that man doe thou suspect, and from him be thou reserued. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. i. iii. 9 Mahomet..when hee set out the felicitie of his heaven, by..the delights of sense.
† (b) To extol, ‘crack up’. Obs.
1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., To set one out, or speak much to his Praise. 1693Dryden Juvenal Ded. in Ess. (1900) II. 68 The colours [of rival charioteers] themselves were but a fancy; but when once a man had taken pains to set out those of his party, and had been at the trouble of procuring voices for them, the case was altered. 1754Richardson Grandison I. viii. 39 How have you over-rated my merits!..should you not..have known something of my mind before you had set me out thus.
†o. To embellish, adorn, deck out, trick out. Also refl. Obs.
1523Skelton Garl. Laurel 422 O noble Chaucer, whos pullisshyd eloquence Oure Englysshe rude so fresshely hath set out. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 84 Not set out with fayre & fyne clothes. 1589Cooper Admon. 56 The Libeller to set out his Pasquill, raketh all things. 1621Burton Anat. Mel. iii. ii. ii. iii. 572 Gold and pretious stones doe condescend to set out their shooes. 1662J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Amb. 205 They set out their Discourse with all sorts of Fables. a1704T. Brown Ess. on Women Wks. 1711 IV. 157 They bestow..as much Times and Pains in the Art of Dissimulation, as they do in setting out their Faces. 1714C'tess Cowper Diary (1865) 36 There she was, set out in all her Airs. 1747H. Glasse Cookery ix. 89 It is good with Vinegar, and a fine Dish to set out a cold Table.
**** †p. To put out at interest. Obs.
1533in Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 8 All such goodes..shall..be sett owte to the use and profett of John Mering, Robert Mering and Nicholes Mering. 1614Rich Honestie Age (1615) 36 Euery man can call him an Vsurer that setteth out his money. 1677A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 22 All such as..dare not set out their Moneys at interest.
†q. To put (a child) out to nurse; to place out with a master or at school. Obs.
1575Gascoigne Glasse Govt. iv. iv. Wks. 1910 II. 64, I thinke no mens children are thus set out. 1643Trapp Comm. Gen. xxi. 7 If the childe must be set out, let a fit nurse be looked after. c1670Wood Life (O.H.S.) I. 130 Somtimes she would tell him that she would set him out to an attorney or sollicitor. 1729P. Walkden Diary (1866) 61 To-day we set son Henry out to school to Mr. Nabb.
†r. (a) To set apart for certain treatment. Obs.
1607Shakes. Timon v. iv. 57 Whom you your selues shall set out for reproofe. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts, Zech. xi. 4 Thus saith the Lord, my God, yet amongst these Jewes, which I have justly set out for this slaughter, there is a flocke of mine, whom I have due care of.
(b) To put aside (a tenth part); to reserve as tithe. Obs. (Cf. set forth, 144 c, b.)
1548Act 2 & 3 Edw. VI, c. 13 §1 Everye of the Kinges subjectes shall..devide sett out yelde and paye all manner of their prediall tythes in their proper kynde. 1670W. Sheppard Parson's Guide 41 The common course of setting out and delivering Corn by the Common Law, is by the tenth Shock, Cock, or Sheaf. 1710Prideaux Orig. Tithes iii. 160 Men were forced to set the Tithes duly out, and pay them fully. 1736Gentl. Mag. VI. 697/1 And no Quaker shall after such Notice, and before the setting out, or after such Tythe shall be so set out, withdraw or take away, or cause to be withdrawn or taken away the said Tythes. 1768Case of Jeffry Ruffle 3 He gave him notice every time of the setting out of his tythes.
†s. To let or lease out. Obs.
1614Rich Honestie Age (1615) 37 The Land-Lords that doe set out their liuings at those high rates. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 6 Some boyle not the Salt in their owne name but set it out to others. 1693Stair Instit. i. xvi. (ed. 2) 135 Letting out of Lands, or setting out of Houses.
***** t. (a) † To exhibit graphically (obs.); to put down on paper in express or detailed form; to describe or enumerate expressly; to detail.
1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 158 Before Luthers booke was sette out a picture. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 13 There ye shall see it [pallium] set out in white with a great many of blacke crosses vpon it.
1545R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 43 The other [Cicero] setteth oute no poynte of rhetorike, so fullie in all his bookes, as [etc.]. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. ix. 84 The very same partie by whom the liuely figure before set out was made. Ibid. iv. xxix. 150 b, The places..most notable, and that doe merite to be set out. 1621H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 109 Yt shoulde sett out the matter orderly. 1658W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. ii. verse 14. xvi. 314 The Christians getting to heaven, is set out as a businesse of so much difficulty. 1693Dryden Juvenal x. (1697) 244 The Poets Design in this Divine Satyr, is to represent the various Wishes and Desires of Mankind; and to set out the Folly of 'em. 1775F. Buller Introd. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 2) 176 In such Case the Jury are not to set out the Value of the Land descended. 1842Act 5 & 6 Vict. c. 45 Sched. 4 Set out the Title of the Book. 1879M. Pattison Milton 101 This moving situation Gauden, no mean stylist, set out in the best academical language of the period. 1896Athenæum 14 Mar. 339/1 A list of authorities set out in the appendix.
† (b) To furnish a translation of. Obs.
1597Morley Introd. Mus. To Rdr., I do not doubt, but many..will wonder that..I haue taken vpon mee to set out that in our vulgar tongue. a1668R. Lassels Voy. Italy (1670) ii. 232 It was he that set us out the life of Sir Thomas More in English. a1700Evelyn Diary 12 Sept. 1649, Dr. Crighton,..a learned Grecian who set out the Council of Florence.
u. (a) To delimit, define, mark out.
1653E. Manlove Lead-mines 48 The finder,..May have two meers met, and set out by stake. 1660Stanley Hist. Philos. xi. Parmenides (1687) 747 He..first set out and limited the habitable parts of the Earth. 1690Locke Hum. Und. iv. iv. §13 A false Supposition, that these two Names, Man and Beast, stand for distinct Species so set out by real Essences, that there can come no other Species between them. 1727Boyer Dict. Royal II. s.v., Every Man has his Share of Provisions and Business set out. 1847Marryat Childr. New Forest xiv, If he is to work..it must not be by having work set out for him. 1870Hughes Alfred the Grt. xv, The shires and their sub-divisions..were carefully set out.
(b) To portion out (land) into lots.
a1700Evelyn Diary 22 Mar. 1675, When the rebells were dividing their conquests in Ireland, he was employ'd by them to measure and set out the land. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) V. 17 The commissioners should set out, allot, and assign unto the lady of the manor, twenty statute acres of the common and waste grounds. 1893Field 1 Apr. 486/1 My predecessor had set out a large field in allotments.
(c) To plan, lay out (a town, road, garden, etc.); to lay out (ground) with plants.
1673Ray Journ. Low C. 3 The present Town having been contrived and set out all at once. 1689Col. Rec. Pennsylv. I. 298 To set out a Cart road according to Statute. a1700Evelyn Diary 17 Jan. 1653, I began to set out the ovall garden at Sayes Court. 1712J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 138 A Gardener who has a Parterre or a Grove to set out. 1845Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VI. ii. 335 A ditch is then to be set out 4 feet wide. 1854Ibid. XV. ii. 426 He..himself sets out his drains and his water-meads. 1893Cornh. Mag. May 485 Every year sees another acre or two set out with narcissus bulbs.
(d) To mark out, lay out in a pattern or design.
1838Civ. Engin. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 322/1 Professor Phillips described an Odontograph, or instrument for setting out the teeth of wheels. 1861Temple Bar I. 234 The lines of a floating battery in setting out the lines of a..fast frigate. 1891D. Denning Art Cabinet-Making 213 The sketch from which the working drawing is set out. 1892E. Rowe Chip Carving 45 To set out the borders on Figs. 35 and 36.
v. (a) To arrange (a table, a room, etc.) for a meal or other purpose; to spread (a table, etc.) with ornaments, etc.; to dress (a window). (b) To put out or arrange (things necessary for a meal, game, etc.), esp. on a table; to lay (a meal).
1809Malkin Gil Blas i. v. (Rtldg.) 10 The next step was to regale after their labours. A large table was set out in the hall. 1850Tait's Mag. XVII. 764/2 The room was set out for dinner. 1856Leisure Hour V. 604/1 Is it beneath his dignity to take down the shutters and ‘set out’ the window of his establishment? 1859Geo. Eliot A. Bede x, Seth..began to..clear the small round deal table that he might set out his mother's tea upon it. 1872Calverley Fly Leaves (1884) 34, I see her..setting out the tea-things, For a howling herd of hungry boys. 1885J. Payn Luck of Darrells xliii, The table was brilliantly set out with glass and silver.
(c) To arrange (objects) at proper intervals or with a due amount of display; spec. to plant out; to leave (plants) at a distance apart, by thinning (cf. single v. 7).
1812New Bot. Gard. I. 15 Removing the plants..and setting them out in beds. 1831Loudon Encycl. Agric. (1857) §6009 The planters differ in the number of hills to be made..some choosing to set them out..in rows of equal distances. 1847Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VIII. i. 215 The plants are set out with the hoe, the distance varying from 14 to 18 inches. 1860Tyndall Glac. ii. x. 285 This line [of stakes] was set out and numbered from the Trélaporte side of the valley. 1888B. W. Richardson Son of Star II. v. 79 A commander-in-chief who cannot set out troops. Ibid. III. xii. 218 The tents..are set out in the order of a city. 1890Jrnl. Educ. 1 Aug. 429/2 The examples are nowhere ‘set out’, but buried in the body of the page.
****** †w. To put (people) at variance. Obs.
a1610Healey Theophrastus (1636) 51 If he be chosen Arbitrator betwixt two at difference..hee sets them out further then euer they were before. 1649Nicholas Papers (1886) 156 To breed differences with and set him out with the Queene his mother.
******* intr. x. (a) To begin or start on a journey; to start on one's way.
Set out is felt as more appropriate than set off in this sense when the journey is undertaken with some deliberation or is of an important or arduous character.
1583T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. iv. 24 b, Thei franckly and freely sette out of the Towne. 1667Milton P.L. viii. 111 Mee thou thinkst not slow, Who since the Morning hour set out from Heav'n..and ere mid-day arriv'd in Eden. a1700Evelyn Diary 27 June 1650, The next morning by 4 we sat out for Canterbury. 1748Richardson Clarissa VII. 215, I write this after all are gone to bed; and the fellow is to set out with it by day-break. 1837Lockhart Scott IV. xi. 366 The Baronet..set out on his return to the North. 1886A. Sergeant No Saint ix, He set out resolutely to walk across country. 1887Ruskin Præterita II. 164 We set out together for the base of the Buet,—I on muleback, he walking.
(b) const. inf. To begin one's career or start off with the object of doing something; to lay oneself out (to do).
1888Bryce Amer. Commw. lxxxix. III. 211 It..accomplished much of what it set out to do. 1893Harper's Mag. Jan. 313/2 Did he..deliberately set out to be a tyrant? 1897Bookman Jan. 126/1 The..stories..don't set out to prove anything.
(c) ellipt.
1744Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Montagu 12 June, A new vice-legate,..young, rich, and handsome, and sets out in a greater figure than ever has been known here. 1798Geraldina I. 191 Nor would I set out a Reformer.
y. To start on a certain course; to begin or start off (with or by doing something).
1693Locke Educ. §93 (1699) 151 A young Gentleman, who gets this one Qualification from his Governour, sets out with great Advantage. 1694Atterbury Serm. (Isa. lx. 22) (1726) I. 100 But Christianity, when it set out, took none of these methods of recommending it self. 1753Hogarth Anal. Beauty xi. 89 The two general ideas we sat out with at the beginning of this chapter. 1770Luckombe Hist. Printing 247 Every Printer ought to consult with himself about the scope and nature of the business which he sets out for. 1829Lamb Let. to Gillman 30 Nov., Life opened upon him with comparative brilliancy. He set out as a rider or traveller for a wholesale house. 1853J. Napier Man. Dyeing 261 If we start with a protosalt of iron..and if we set out with a persalt. 1884G. Allen Philistia III. 22 He set out by admiring his niece's fat arms.
z. To project.
1892Black & White 11 June 758/1, I have observed..that several of the new skirts..show a tendency towards setting out round the feet. 1892Pictorial World 25 June 98/1 It is only cut and stiffly lined to set out round the feet.
† aa. = sit out (trans. and intr.): see sit v. 37 a, b.
1714Mrs. Manley Adv. Rivella 40, I..saw the Person for whom she was accus'd, set the Play out. 1815Zeluca III. 82 Not but I'd rather set out; for it's quite unfair to sing a foolish thing that nobody likes, when I could do better.
150. set over. †a. To convey to the other side of a piece of water. Also absol. or intr. (Cf. put over, put v. 49 d.) Obs.
c1400Destr. Troy 2998 There light þai full lyfely, lept into bote, And were set ouer soundly into the same yle. 1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV (1809) 292 He was a frayde to set ouer or to geue battayl, knowynge not to what parte his souldiers would enclyne. 1567Harman Caveat xi. (1869) 54 By that tyme the boye was sette ouer, his Maister..hadde taken a Bote and followed hym. a1627Hayward Edw. VI (1630) 61 Finding the riuer to be fordeable.., he there set ouer his horse.
†b. To give up, surrender to. Obs.
1575–85Abp. Sandys Serm. vii. 109 The vineyard of the Lorde is set ouer to the spoile. a1641Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 460 Sorry Ascetæ they were..who could not find in their hearts to set over to Gods service any more then two times or hours in the day.
c. To make over, transfer.
1594West 2nd Pt. Symbol., Chancerie §141 The said sherife..did..bargaine, sell, assigne, & set ouer the said lease..vnto one G. H. 1613R. Witt Arithm. Quest. 148 This Merchant hauing occasion to imploy money at 3. moneths end after he deliuer the said 300l. is desirous to sell or set ouer the said debt. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 10 A covenant from the lessee, that he would not ‘assign, transfer, or set over..the said indenture of demise’. 1820Gifford Compl. Engl. Lawyer (ed. 5) 660 The said A. B. hath..assigned, transferred, and set over..unto the said N. O...all that messuage.
†d. To brush aside, dismiss. Obs.
1701Col. Rec. Pennsylv. II. 80 Objections..which they could by no means Sett over.
†e. intr. Of a vessel: To run over. Obs.
1608Bp. Andrewes Serm. Holy Ghost ii. (1641) 609 Filled: not to hold, but to set over.
f. pass. and intr. Salt-manuf. Of the pan: To collect a crust in the process of evaporation.
1808H. Holland Agric. Cheshire 59 When a crust of this kind forms [on the surface of the brine] the salt boilers say that ‘the pan is set-over’. 1875Ure's Dict. Arts III. 744 The introduction of a very few grains being amply sufficient to clear the largest pan, and to prevent any recurrence of the ‘setting over’.
g. To kill or murder. U.S. Criminals' slang.
1931G. Irwin Amer. Tramp & Underworld Slang 166 Set over, to kill, probably since the victim is set over or apart. 1944W. R. Burnett Nobody lives Forever xxii. 159 I've been trying to find you ever since you set Doc over. 1949― Asphalt Jungle xxxiii. 211 They have to set a guy over.
151. set through. † To carry through, bring to a conclusion. Obs.
1600J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa ii. 53 A kinde of tribunall..wherein all contentions..are presently decided and set through [orig. deciditur ac sedatur].
152. set to. †a. trans. To add. Obs.
c1200Ormin Ded. 339, & tale wile icc settenn to, To don ȝuw tunnderrstanndenn Hu fele [etc.]. 1551Turner Herbal i. H ij, Seynge the place..is proued to be but bastarde, and set to by sume other to Dioscorides.
†b. To affix (one's seal or signature). Obs.
Often written setto or set-to.
a1300Cursor M. 6889 He..wrat þe nam, and sett to sele [c 1375 Fairf. sette on sel]. 1418E.E. Wills (1882) 29 In the wytnesse of the wyche thynge, I haue set to my sele. c1450Godstow Reg. 44 He made hyt stronge by settynge to of hys seele. 1464in Archæologia XLVII. 192 In witnesse of the quhilk thing I haf set to my signet. 1534Tindale John iii. 33 He that hath receaved hys testimonye hath set to his seale that God is true. 1552–3Inv. Ch. Goods, Stafford 43 To thes presents interchaungeabli have setto our handes. 1624Heriot Codicil to Will in Mem. App. iii. (1822) 102 In witness whereof to this..I have..set to my seal. 1829Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) I. 38 Men must set-to their hands to being the born thralls of a proprietor of human cattle.
†c. To set (a broken limb). Obs.
1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, v. i. 133 Can Honour set too a legge?
†d. to set to one's hands: to get to work. Obs.
1611Second Maiden's Trag. 1787 Remoue the stone that I maie see my mistres, setto yor handes you villaines, and that nymblie.
e. Cock-fighting. To put (cocks) beak to beak. (Cf. setter-to 1.)
c1800in Hoyle's Games Improv. (1814) 443 No persons to set-to, but those who are appointed by the masters of the match.
f. (a) intr. To make a beginning; to get to work; esp. to begin seriously or energetically.
c1425Eng. Conq. Ireland 130 He sette to, & asked of the out-comen men that ynto the lond wer comen, howe hyt shold be of ham. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1664) 189, I beseech you set to, to goe through scripture. c1830Mrs. Sherwood Houlston Tracts III. 9 The lass was at the washing-tub till it was quite late in the day, without getting anything forward, so that my wife was obliged to set to. 1847Marryat Childr. New Forest viii, Edward then set to with a good appetite. 1858R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma l. 222 He again set-to on his own account, munching and crunching. 1890H. M. Stanley Darkest Africa I. v. 100 The engineer set to to repair the rudder.
(b) Pugilism. To begin fighting (with).
1743Broughton's Rules iii. in Egan Boxiana (1830) I. 52 Every body is to quit the stage as soon as the champions are stripped, before they set-to. 1792Ann. Reg. 17 These famous pugilists set-to exactly at a quarter before 3 o'clock. 1823Syd. Smith Wks. (1859) II. 27/1 They [sc. poachers] take a delight in setting-to with the gamekeepers. 1863‘Ouida’ Held in Bondage vi, Du Loo and his pet of the Fancy retired to the far end of the room, and there set-to, delivering from the left shoulder.
(c) Racing. To make the final effort to get in front. (Cf. set-to 3.)
1856H. H. Dixon Post & Paddock xii. 204 Buckle's great forte was to wait and then set-to on an idle horse.
†g. pass. or intr. Of food: To ‘catch’ on the bottom or side of a vessel in cooking. Obs.
a1610Healey Theophrastus (1636) 72 Then he tels you that his Sieges were blacker then broth, that's set to.
153. set together. †a. (a) To put (things) together; to set (a bone); to construct (a frame-work). Obs.
c1205Lay. 51 Feþeren he nom mid fingren & fiede on boc-felle & þa soþere word sette to-gadere. 1530Palsgr. 715/2 And you wyll set your horses nere togyther, you have romme ynough in this stabell for two mo. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. (1585) 6 Though a man can finde out good matter and good wordes, though hee can handsomely set them together. 1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 58 Doth not he remember that the broken bone once set together, is stronger than ever it was? 1598Chapman 7 Bks. Iliads To Rdr., I haue good authoritie that the bookes were not set together by Homer himselfe. 1603Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 670 After it [timber for building a fleet] was framed, and ready to be set together. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. i. 46 Who set the Body, and the Limbes Of this great Sport together?
† (b) to set together by the ears: see ear n.1 1 e.
1663[see ear n.1 1 e]. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables lxvii. 65 So Mean a Rascal, as to set other People together by the Ears, without Fighting your self.
† (c) to set horses together, to agree. Obs.
1685in Verney Family Mem. (1899) IV. 344, I wonder how Sir Rich. who is boyling water & the Mayor doe, to set their horses together.
†b. To couple together in comparison. Obs.
1628T. Spencer Logick 117 The Oxe, and Israell are set together, in the quantitie of ignorance.
c. Cheese-manuf. To prepare (the milk) for the process of coagulation by adding the rennet.
1837Brit. Husb. II. 426 (Libr. Usef. Knowl.) The firmness of the curd, if the milk be set hot together, will be much greater than that from milk which has been set cold together. 1845Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VI. i. 107 They make their cheese ‘cold’—that is, set the milk together at a low temperature.
†d. intr. To curdle. Obs.
1608Willet Hexapla Exod 215 The word is kapha, which properly signifieth the running or setting together of cheese.
154. set up.
* a. (a) To place in a high or lofty position; to raise to an elevated situation.
[c1200Ormin 3430 He sette a steorrne upp o þe lift.] c1290S. Eng. Leg. 238/680 Þis monekes he [a whale] ladde ech-on, And sette heom up hole and sounde. c1300Arth. & Merl. 5911 [They] sett him vp as a king, Þat er lay as a breþeling. 1470–85Malory Arthur viii. xli. 336 Sir Gawayne..toke the knyghtes lady, and sette her vp behynde his squyer. 1565Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Pono, He sette vp a marke on the toppe of an elme for archers to shoote at. 1582Allen Martyrdom Campion (1908) 57 M. Forde being set up in the carte. 1631Gouge God's Arrows v. Ded. 406 You have brought me forth into the open field, and set me up to be gazed on. 1861C. Beard Port Royal I. 308 They..set up an inscription in the same church. 1879M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxxvi. 364 [She] caused his head to be set up on the gates of York.
† (b) To drive up. Obs.
1496Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 305 To ij childer that chasit dukis in the dubbis, and set thaim vp to the halkis, ij s.
†b. To hoist (sail, a flag). Obs. (Cf. ON. setja upp segl.)
a1300Cursor M. 24829 Þair sail þai sett up o þair scipp. c1330Arth. & Merl. 115 Vp þai sett sail & mast. 1538Starkey England i. i. 22 Them wych..wythout wynd wyl set vp the sayle. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. i. 31 b, [They] set vp a redde flagge. a1674Clarendon Hist. Reb. xvi. §237 The wind coming fair, he set up his Sails. 1790Lond. Comp. 144 Any waterman who sets up a sail between Lambeth and London Bridge, forfeits for each offence 5s.
c. To raise (a cry); to utter (vocal sound).
† to set up one's throat: see throat n. 3 b.
c1250Gen. & Ex. 3717 Ðis folc ðo sette up grot and gred. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus iv. ii. S iij b, Let vs begynne or set vppe a prety songe or balade. 1664Butler Hud. ii. ii. 657 The whole Rout Set up their throats with clam'rous shout. 1682Bunyan Holy War (1905) 285 With one voice they set up a cry that reached up to the Heavens. 1720De Foe Capt. Singleton xii. (1840) 211 They set up a huzza. 1749Smollett Gil Blas i. v. (1782) I. 28 Setting up my pipes, as if he had flayed me. 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. x. (Rtldg.) 365 The good old man set up a roar of laughter. 1821Scott Kenilw. xi, Dame Crane set up her throat, and began a horrible exclamation against Jack Hostler. 1853Hawthorne Tanglewood T. (1883) 238 Setting up her childish voice, she called him back. 1887M. B. Betham-Edwards Next of Kin Wanted II. vii. 78 Baby..set up a yell.
†d. To open. Obs.
1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 129 Whan Constantyn was i-cristened he made prisouns i-oponed,..and chirche dores i-sette up [aperiri].
†e. To put up for sale or auction. Obs.
c1395Plowman's Tale iii. 1198 They that..sette hem up to any sale. 1707Lond. Gaz. No. 4343/7 On the 4th of July..will be exposed to Sale.., 10 Bags of..Spanish Wool,..set up at 20d. per lb. 1812Cary Dante, Purg. xiv. 64 Their flesh, yet living, sets he up for sale. 1819Hazlitt Pol. Ess. 260 Let them set them up at auction, and see what they will fetch.
f. To post up (a paper or notice); to give notice of, advertise.
c1540in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 24 And in the night season sett upp certeyn refutacions in wrytyng on the churche dore. 1562in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. iii. 163 Peter van Duran..was licensed by the same Courte to sett vp bylles vpon postes, in suche partes of this Cytye as to him shall seame good. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. i. iii. 145 Good Cinna, take this Paper..set this vp with Waxe Vpon old Brutus Statue. 1616R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 122 And soe we sett up a bill in writing, that I would geve a bar of plate to him which brought the keyes. 1708Constit. Watermen's Co. liii, A Summons, to be set up at the most noted Plying⁓places between Gravesend and Windsor. 1727Boyer Dict. Royal II, To set up a Play on the Posts. 1779Stiles Diary 1 June (1901) II. 343, I attended eveng prayers in the Chapel and set up College Orders. 1876J. Fergusson Hist. Ind. Archit. i. vi. 139 It appears unlikely that Asoka would have been allowed to set up two copies of his edicts in the dominions of such powerful kings as Aira and his father seem to have been.
†g. To throw into relief, make brilliant, heighten the lustre of. Obs.
1588Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1910) 275 The Pewter so set vppe, the Brasse and yron works so bright [etc.]. 1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. 94 Painters to set up their colours, and to give them more beautifull light and lustre. 1615S. Ward Coal from Altar 24, I haue heard our Marchants complain, that the set vp blewes haue made strangers loath the rich oaded blewes.
h. † (a) To tighten (strings) so as to raise their pitch. Obs.
1642M. Newcomen Serm. bef. Ho. Comm. 5 Nov. (1643) 25 To proceed as Musicians doe in tuning their instruments: Who straine their strings with a gentle hand, and set them up by little and little.
(b) Naut. To take in the ‘slack’ of (shrouds, stays), make taut.
1748Anson's Voy. i. viii. 80 One mizen-shroud broke,..which we knotted, and set up immediately. 1750T. R. Blanckley Nav. Expositor s.v. Salvagees, Salvagees..are used when a Shroud or Back Stay wants setting up. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxv, Setting up the weather breast-back⁓stays. 1875Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. viii. (ed. 2) 282 The hawser is to be set up by means of the double block tackle purchase.
i. (a) To stake: only in phr. set up one's rest (see rest n.2 6 b).
† (b) To score (so much) at cards. Obs.
1680Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) 76 Cribbidge... And when they have play'd out their three Cards and set up with Counters their Games in their hands. Ibid. 82 He that hath three Honours in his own hand, his partner not having the fourth sets up Eight by Cards, that is two tricks.
j. (a) To place in an exalted, eminent, or superior position; to raise to power or authority; sometimes spec. to put on the throne. Also absol.
c1375Sc. Leg. Saints vii. (Jacobus Minor) 612 Þane Iosaphus þe met gert dycht, & set vpe tytus..to þe bowrde as þare oure-mane. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 41 Foure false popes þat Frederik þe emperour had i-sette up. a1586Sidney Arcadia i. (Sommer) 21 All the things she did to ouerthrow him did set him vp vpon the height of honor. 1596Spenser F.Q. v. ii. 41 He maketh Kings to sit in souerainty; He maketh subiects to their powre obay; He pulleth downe, he setteth vp on hy. 1603Ld. Cecil in Crt. & Times Jas. I (1848) I. 16 To dispossess his majesty and his royal issue of this crown, and to have set up the Lady Arabella Stuart. 1654Z. Coke Logick Pref., God hath set you up the Oracles of War. 1713Addison Cato i. iv, Where's the worth that sets this people up Above your own Numidia's tawny sons! 1818Scott Rob Roy xxvi She'll be keen for a that can set up King James, and ding down King George. 1879M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xlvii. 477 Judges..were almost tools of the king, who could set them up and put them down at his pleasure.
(b) To appoint (an officer or functionary).
1642Vicars God in Mount 45 Lecturers, chosen and set up with the peoples consent. 1678Butler Hud. iii. ii. 267 Some were for setting up a King. 1879M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxxi. 308 Two rival popes were set up.
(c) To appoint to or nominate for a position.
1689T. R. View Gov. Eur. 40 A Mountebank was set up for Lord Chancellor. a1700Evelyn Diary 8 Apr. 1685, For this Parliament, very meane and slight persons..were set up. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 480 When a person was set up to be Sheriff that would not serve. 1754Richardson Grandison I. xvi. 99 Supposing that he would set up his nephew when at age..as a representative for the county.
k. To make (a person) elated, proud, or vain; esp. in pass. to be elated, gratified; to be proud, or ‘stuck-up’.
1526Skelton Magnyf. 2025 Nowe she wyll laughe; forth⁓with she wyll frowne; Sodenly set vp and sodenly pluckyd downe. 1601B. Jonson Poetaster iv. iii. 67 Come hither, cockatrice: here's one, will set thee vp, my sweet punke: set thee vp. 1789C. Smith Ethelinde (1814) II. 168 He's not so set up with it. 1866Mrs. Gaskell Wives & Dau. xiv, Sister thought such a message would set you up too much. 1886Ruskin Præterita I. 392 We were very much set up at making his acqaintance. 1893Kipling Many Invent., Badalia Herodsfoot 297 She's that set up you wouldn't know her.
l. (a) † To speak highly of, extol, praise (obs.); to put forward as a model, ‘put on a pedestal’.
1535Coverdale Song 3 Childr. 63 O ye spretes and soules of the righteous, speake good of y⊇ Lorde: prayse him, and set him vp for euer.
1809Malkin Gil Blas iv. viii. ⁋1 This exterior did not prevent her from being set up as the cleverest woman in all Madrid. 1891‘H. S. Merriman’ Prisoners & Captives x, I do not set him up as a hero.
(b) dial. (esp. Sc.) in ironical or contemptuous use.
1824Scott St. Ronan's ii, Set him up for confectioner! 1829Brockett N.C. Gloss. (ed. 2) s.v., She rides in a coach—set her up, indeed! 1893Stevenson Catriona xi, Which makes me the keener for your company, Mr. David Balfour of the Shaws, and set ye up!
** m. (a) To place in an erect position; to set or stand upright; to erect (an image, statue); to raise (a standard).
c1205Lay. 27244 Þa lette he sette up þene drake here⁓mærken unimake. a1225Leg. Kath. 1468 Me schal..setten hit [an ymage] on heh up. c1400Beryn 1746 A Chese [= chessboard] þere was I-brouȝt forth..The meyne were I-set vp. 1530Palsgr. 716/1 Set up this ladder agaynst the wall. a1533Ld. Berners Huon lxii. 215 She fell downe in a transe... Than Huon..set her vp, and comfortyd her. 1603Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. i. 2 We must not make a scar-crow of the Law, Setting it vp to feare the Birds of prey. 1626Bacon Sylva §435 It hath beene knowne, that a Fruit-Tree hath beene blowne vp (almost) by the Roots, and set vp againe, and the next yeare bare exceedingly. a1700Evelyn Diary 14 June 1685, Certaine intelligence of the Duke of Monmouth..having set up his standard as King of England. 1707S. Sewall Diary 7 Aug., Peter Weare set up the stone post to shew a mile from the Town-House ends. 1821Scott Kenilw. xii, In less than a minute, by setting up his mustaches and his hair, he seemed a different person. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 359 Palisades were set up, and a pleasant garden laid out. 1857Hughes Tom Brown ii. viii, Old Bailey gravely sets up the middle stump again and puts the bails on. 1879M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxiii. 234 A beautiful monument was set up.
† (b) ? To trim or curl up. Obs.
a1625Fletcher Wild-Goose Chase ii. iii, Let me set my Beard up. ― Hum. Lieut. iv. i, She hates curl'd heads too, And setting up of beards she swears is Idolatry.
(c) To ‘erect’ (lines) in a plan.
1731W. Halfpenny Perspective 24 To draw the Steps, first draw their Plan.., then set up their intended Heights..from G, on the Line G g. 1830Hedderwick Mar. Archit. 247 Set up the tangent-lines at the exact half-breadth of the midship-frame, on each side of the centre-line.
† (d) To set (a top) spinning. Obs.
1607Shakes. Cor. iv. v. 161 He turn'd me about with his finger and his thumbe, as one would set vp a Top. 1649Lovelace Lucasta 8 Then, as a Top, he sets it up, And pitifully whips it! 1679Dryden Troil. & Cress. iii. i, He's an old wooden Top, set up by Father Time three hundred Years ago.
(e) to set up one's bristles: to be irate. to set up one's comb or hair: to be proud. to set one's back up, etc.: see back n.1 24 f.
1528Tindale Obed. Chr. Man. 47 b, Then fume we and rage and sett vp the bristels. a1536[see comb n.1 5]. 1576Gascoigne Droomme of Doomes day Wks. 1910 II. 251 Men thus advaunced..hould up theyr heads, set up their heare, shew theyr pryde. 1845[see back n.1 24 f]. 1886Besant Childr. Gibeon i. ix, I hear you've been to see my mother and you've set her back up.
(f) U.S. To put (drink, etc.) before customers for their consumption; hence, to ‘treat’ to (drinks, cigars). Also in phr. to set them up, to provide free drinks.
1880A. A. Hayes in Harper's New Monthly Mag. Jan. 209/1 You bet he lived high; always set up the drinks. 1883Sweet & Knox On Mexican Mustang iii. 47 Then he swore, and cussed the ‘demmed country, you know’, but finally got into good humor, and set 'em up all round. 1884Lincoln (Nebraska) Jrnl. Aug., A counter where the beer could be set up. 1888Lisbon (Dakota) Star 9 Nov. 2/6 Well, we must make him set up the cigars on that happy event. 1906C. de L. Canfield Forty-Niner ix. 83 Of course, it was drinks all around; you can't do anything in this country without setting 'em up first. 1949[see rock candy s.v. rock n.1 9 a]. 1965G. Melly Owning Up vi. 64 In exchange for a song or two from me, he was prepared to set them up all night.
n. (a) To erect and make ready for use; to pitch (a tent); † to erect (a building). Cf. 60.
c1205Lay. 8716 Þa þet work wes up iset. a1300Cursor M. 10378 Sir Ioachim was fain and blith, And vp he sett an auter suith. a1400–50Wars Alex. 2296 Þe powere him grauntis To sett his cite vp agayn. 1471–3in Cal. Proc. Chanc. Q. Eliz. (1830) II. Pref. 55 The seid hous shuld have be..fully sett upp, garnysshed, and doon by the fest of the nativite of our lady Seint Mary. 1485Caxton Chas. Gt. 241 He made hys tentys to be sette vp there. 1523–4Rec. St. Mary at Hill 323 Paid..for Settyng vpp of a pewe in Seint Annys chappell iiij d. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xiii. 49 Constantinople being reedified and new sette vp. 1603Shuttleworths' Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 152 When they were settinge upp the chimle pyppes and the batlement. 1667Milton P.L. xii. 247 He voutsafes Among them to set up his Tabernacle. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 212, I made a..fram'd Door-case, and a Door.., and..set it up in the Passage. 1880Lady F. Dixie Across Patagonia 206 Several vain attempts were made to set up the tents, but the wind was too strong.
† (b) To build (a ship). Obs.
1595T. Maynarde Drake's Voy. (Hakl. Soc.) 11 Settinge up more newe pinnaces. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 481, I oblig'd him to set up the Sloop which I had brought [in frame].
o. To set (a trap), lay (a snare). Now dial.
1579Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 72 Cupide sets vpp a Springe for Woodcockes. 1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v. Mouse, To set up a Mouse-trap. 1887Kentish Gloss. s.v. Set up A man ‘sets up a trap for vermin’.
p. (a) To put together the parts of (a machine) and erect it in position.
(Merges in the sense of ‘establish, set on foot’, see aa.)
1683Repr. Advantages Manuf. Woollen-cloath 18 We have 25 Loomes constantly imployed, and have ordered the setting up 10 more. 1751C. Labelye Westm. Bridge 84 Three..Months were employed..by the Carpenters in new framing and setting up the Centers. 1770Luckombe Hist. Printing 323 [He] ought to know as much of setting-up a Press as the Press-man himself. 1872Pope Telegraph i. 13 In setting up the battery pure water may be used in the porous cell. 1879M. J. Guest Lect. Hist. Eng. xxviii. 284 Flemish weavers set up their looms and taught the English to weave cloth.
(b) To start (a piece of work) on a loom, etc.
1857M. Cummins Mabel Vaughan xxxiii, Drawing a huge ball of yarn from her pocket, [she] commenced setting up a stocking. 1861Geo. Eliot Silas M. v, A piece of very fine twine was indispensable to his ‘setting up’ a new piece of work in his loom.
(c) To make the necessary interconnections and initial settings in (a computer) for the performance of a particular calculation; to do this so that the computer will solve (an equation), perform (a calculation), etc.
1931Jrnl. Franklin Inst. CCXII. 459 A bus shaft is assigned to each significant quantity appearing in the equation. The several relations existing between these are then set up by means of connections to the operating units. 1948Electronics Apr. 124/1 When combining circuit elements to form an analog computer, the first step is to set up the differential equations to be solved. Ibid. 126/3 Consider setting up the computer for solving the differential equation p2y —0·2py —y = 0. 1962MacKay & Fisher Analogue Computing at Ultra-High Speed xiii. 171 The procedure for setting up a given equation on an analyser is not difficult. 1964G. A. & T. M. Korn Electronic Analog & Hybrid Computers ii. 37 The computer is ‘set up’ for the given problem when a suitable arrangement of computing elements establishes the correct relationships between computer voltages.
q. Typogr. To put (types) into the composing-stick; to arrange (type) in words or blocks of words; to put (a book, etc.) into type; occas. said of the type (quot. 1770). Also absol.
1668–9J. Leigh Let. to S. Clarke (MS. Rawl. D. 398 fol. 141), I Request yu giue halfe Crown a man to each Compositor when hee begins to sett it vp. 1683Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xix. ⁋6 When the Boy Sets up Letters..[he] takes the Composing-stick..in his left-Hand. 1770Luckombe Hist. Printing 247 A Fount of English, which sat up about twelve sheets in 4to of the Surgeons Case, in Paris. 1818Byron Ep. to Murray i, My dear Mr. Murray, Your'e in a damn'd hurry, To set up this ultimate Canto. 1832Hallam in Life Tennyson (1897) I. 89 The (printer's) devils are full of promise to set up immediately. 1891Chamb. Jrnl. 16 May 319/2 The speech..was set up in an incredibly short time.
r. To place (the dead body of an animal stuffed or otherwise treated for preservation) in an erect or lifelike position.
1781Nat. Hist. in Ann. Reg. 64/2 These Bats were kept for some time..before they were set up. 1861Temple Bar III. 500 A nearly perfect skeleton has been obtained and is being set up. 1884G. Allen Philistia I. 2 Where they stuffed birds or set up exotic butterflies in little cabinets. 1892Field 30 Jan. 133/3, I am sending the skin..to be set up.
s. to be well (straight) set up: to have a stalwart, well-knit frame.
1825Ld. Cockburn Mem. (1856) 159 Charles Hope was tall and well set up. 1861Temple Bar III. 53 Leotard is not straight set up, after the standard so cherished by soldier martinets. 1904Sir P. Burne-Jones Dollars & Democr. 53 In New York..the women..are so well ‘set up’, so excellently ‘turned out’.
t. (a) To make erect and soldierly by drill.
1865Meredith Rhoda Fleming i, No master of callisthenics could have set them up better. 1893Chamb. Jrnl. 10 June 364/1 When I joined the [Police] Force I was a big awkward-looking, country Johnny... Drill soon set me up.
(b) (See quot.)
1842in R. Oastler Fleet Papers II. 134 The assault consisted in ‘setting her up’, that is, making her hold a brush above her head for an hour and forty minutes; and when her arms began to be tired, and dropped a little, he put them up again.
u. Agric. To earth up (root-crops).
1801Farmer's Mag. Jan. 52 The turnips thrive better when not set up.
†v. To fix (a price or standard); also, to put up the price of. Obs.
1530Proper Dyaloge in Roy Rede me, etc. (Arb.) 138 Oure fearmes set vp dayly more and more. Ibid. 139 And yet no hygher price was ther vp set Than good conscience did require. 1592Nashe P. Penilesse Wks. 1910 I. 197 In setting vp a sise of Bread.
†w. To compose (verses). Obs.
1607Stat. in Hist. Wakefield Gram. Sch. (1892) 72 Those which are able shall upon that daye sett upp verses.
†x. Cards. To make up (a side). Obs.
1609B. Jonson Sil. Wom. iii. vi, Cen...Mavis and shee will set vp a side. Trv...And mistris Mavis, shee will sustaine her part.
*** y. (a) To put into operation; to bring into use or vogue; to establish a course or series of. Now rare.
a1400–50Wars Alex. 2135 And settes vp a sawte to þe towne sydes. 1570[see plea n. 1 γ]. 1612Chapman Rev. Bussy d'Ambois v. iv. 3, I have had lotteries set up for my death. 1622Jas. I Let. to Earl Southampton 9 July (title-p.), The present setting up of Silke works..in Virginia. 1685Dryden Pref. to Alb. & Alb. Ess. 1900 I. 279 When operas were first set up in France. a1700Evelyn Diary 19 July 1664, The lottery which his Majesty had permitted Sir Arthur Slingsby to set up for one day in the Banqueting House at White-hall. 1700Ibid. 24 Mar., Some Lectures were set up. 1722De Foe Plague (1754) 35 All the Plays and Interludes, which..had been set up. 1847L. Hunt Men, Women, & Bks. II. iii. 44 The numerous smaller periodical works which were set up by Steele. 1849N. & Q. Ser. i. I. 33 A new post-coach had been set up which performed the journey to Bath in a single day.
(b) To cause (a certain condition, esp. of disease) to arise. Often pass.
1851Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XII. ii. 528 Inflammation is set up in the soft tissue. 1853Ibid. XIV. i. 199 Fermentation was more readily set up. 1889A. V. Carr Marg. Maliphant II. xxi. 122 Want of proper nourishment..had caused the accident to set up a disease. 1891Cornh. Mag. Dec. 601 This sets up fructification.
z. To establish (a state of things, a custom, a form of government, a society, etc.).
1431Acts Privy Council IV. 95 It alwey pourveide and seene þat..justice be set uppe and stabylysshede þere. 1535Coverdale 1 Chron. xviii. [xix.] 3 Whan he wente to set vp his power by the water Euphrates. 1549Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 30 His office is to hinder religion,..to set vp Idolatrie. 1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. iii. 50 To plucke a Kingdome downe, And set another vp. 1640Articles agst. Laud 3 He went about to subvert Religion, and to set up Papists and superstition. c1710C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 200 They have their Coales and 3 shillings pr weeke allowed to Each to maintain them,..its set up and allowed to by Mr Coleson a mercht in London. 1765Blackstone Comm. I. 52 The legislature..which was originally set up by the general consent of the society. 1820W. Irving Sketch Bk. (1859) 184 In consequence of two rival ‘Burial Societies’ being set up in the place. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xii. III. 225 Though he had not taken part in setting up the new government. 1861Macm. Mag. IV. 371/1 He succeeded in setting up Episcopacy..in Scotland. 1890T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. from 1689, 151 The house of Savoy now set up a united Italy.
aa. (a) To set on foot, establish (a business, profession); to begin (housekeeping, life).
to set up shop: see shop n.
1525Coventry Leet Bk. 691 Euery persone that haith beene full prentise..doithe sett vp his occupacion or Craft within the same [city]. 1567Harman Caveat Epist. (1869) 21 To set vp houses and kepe hospitalytie. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. xvi. 130 b, They haue also there set vp printing, not before seene in those countries. 1615G. Sandys Trav. 136 Buying pewter, brasse, and such like implements as if to set up house keeping. 1663Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 91 The Earl of Carlisle is going upon an extraordinary embassage to Muscovy, in order to setting up the English trade again there. 1738Swift Pol. Conversat. Introd. 17, I have often wished, that certain..Instructors..would set up Schools. 1777Ann. Reg. II. 42 He returned to London and set up the small-coal trade. 1852Thackeray Esmond i. x, He taught the science of the small-sword, and set up a saloon-of-arms. 1869‘Wat. Bradwood’ The O.V.H. vi, The next thing we shall hear will be that you have set up house and got married. 1894H. Drummond Ascent of Man 299 As new cells budded from the parent they moved away and set up life for themselves.
(b) To begin the use or practice of; to adopt as part of one's establishment, etc.
a1704T. Brown Dial. Dead Wks. 1711 IV. 36 She set up a Basset-Table. 1709Steele Tatler No. 176 ⁋8, [I] have set up a Pack of little Beagles. 1749Smollett Gil Blas viii. ix. (1782) III. 188, I..bought the coach of a notary, who had set it up through ostentation, and now wanted to get rid of it. 1815Scott Guy M. xli, He had lately set up a carriage. 1853‘C. Bede’ Verdant Green ii. xi, He conceived the idea of setting up a drum! 1860Mrs. Carlyle Lett. III. 63 You will have heard of my setting up a second servant. 1890Cornh. Mag. July 45 Improved..by the short beard he had set up.
(c) To prepare, set in readiness (apparatus, machinery, etc.). (A more generalized application of sense 154 p (c).)
1922H. D. Burghardt Machine Tool Operations II. viii. 157 Sometimes an unskilled man or boy can operate several machines after they have been ‘set up’ by a skilled mechanic. 1962A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio viii. 142 To be able to put the disc on the turntable, locate the right groove,..and set the record up ready for playing in. 1977P. Dickinson Walking Dead i. iii. 39 Foxe felt most fully alive..when he was setting up a new experiment.
(d) gen. To make preparations or arrangements for; to contrive, plot (a move, trick, etc.); to arrange (a social engagement).
1965P. O'Donnell Modesty Blaise vii. 83 If Gabriel or anyone else has been setting up a job from here, Paco will know about it. 1968[see nim n.2]. 1971Daily Tel. 28 Oct. 3 (heading) Boy, 12, set up cripple's death jury is told. 1973R. Busby Pattern of Violence vi. 104 Let's set this thing up. I'll get onto the divisional commander. 1973Houston (Texas) Chron. (Suppl.) 14 Oct. 8/4 We set up a date and a couple of weeks later Agnew and I sat down in his suite in a Chicago hotel. 1978R. Thomas Chinaman's Chance xxii. 228 ‘Could you set it up?’ ‘No problem.’
bb. To provide (a person) with means; to place in a position of prosperity or in the way of retrieving one's fortune; to set ‘on one's legs’ again.
1530Palsgr. 716/1, I shall than be set up agayne. 1584Lodge Alarum 10 Thou maist haue money in thy pursse, and other necessaries to set thee vp againe. 1605Shakes. Macb. iii. i. 10 May they not be my Oracles as well, And set me vp in hope. 1658Wit Restor'd 25 But when a Fammily is sunck, And Titles are a fading, Some Merchant's daughter setts you up. 1728Law Serious C. viii, She has set up near twenty poor tradesmen that had failed in their business. 1811Mary Titherington Diary in Mem. (1819) 103 Job was set up again by the bounty of his friends. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxv, We had a light, fair wind, which set us up again. 1892Illustr. Sporting & Dram. News 10 Dec. 446/3 He soon set us all up in funds.
cc. (a) To establish or start (a person) in a business or profession; transf. said of the money, stock, or outfit sufficient to equip a person.
to be set up for (colloq.): to be well provided with.
1556North Country Wills (Surtees) 238 The same company [of mercers in London] shall deliver yerlie the said rent to one poore yong man to sett hym up that hathe nother father nor mother. 1628Earle Microcosm. (Arb.) 65 Two Deskes, and a quire of Paper set him vp. 1679–88Moneys Secr. Serv. Chas. II & Jas. II (Camden Soc.) 88 To Wm Lloyd,..bounty, to sett him up to his trade of a shoemaker. 1722De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 184, I was..set up in the world, made a master. 1745Life Bampfylde-Moore Carew 52 He expended a small Sum of Money to set her up for a retail Trader in Buckles. 1825New Monthly Mag. XVI. 366 Mistress of as many branches of knowledge as would set up half-a-dozen literary hacks. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xxii, He had brilliant under-waistcoats, any one of which would have set up a moderate buck. 1863Mrs. H. Wood Verner's Pride v, I'm set up for cotton gownds. 1865Dickens Mut. Fr. iv. xiii, Now, John, if you don't fix a time for setting her up in her own house and home, and letting us walk out of it, I'll turn Informer. 1886Mrs. C. Praed Miss Jacobsen II. iii. 48 His father will set him up in business.
(b) refl. To constitute or establish oneself (as).
1883Fenn Middy & Ensign xxiv. 142 Dick had no intention of setting himself up as a prophet. 1891Murray's Mag. X. 728 The Wincauntons set themselves up as judges of their neighbours.
(c) To bring (someone) to a position from which he may be knocked down, to make vulnerable (lit., as in Pugilism); fig. (colloq. and slang), to lead on in order to fool, cheat, or incriminate (a person); to ‘frame’. orig. U.S.
1950J. Dempsey Championship Fighting x. 49 If you can land solidly with a straight left or with a left hook, you'll generally knock your opponent off balance, at least, and ‘set him up’ for a pot-shot with your right. 1956B. Holiday Lady sings Blues xxi. 168 When I saw them running across the rooftops with my money, I knew I'd been had. Somebody had set me up. 1963L. Deighton Horse under Water xxxi. 127 Either Mr. Ivor Batcher was double-crossing his boss or I was being set up. 1964S. Bellow Herzog 109 Of course he understood that Tennie was setting him up, and that he was a sucker for just the sort of appeal she made. 1979A. Price Tomorrow's Ghost ii. 23 ‘You're deliberately using them for bait, for God's sake.’ ‘Oh no we're not... We didn't set them up.’ 1981‘E. V. Cunningham’ Case of Sliding Pool ix. 101 He had a partner, whom he set up from the very beginning for the kill.
† dd. To restore, repair, make good. Obs.
1609Bible (Douay) 1 Macc. iii. 43 Let us set up [Vulg. erigamus] the abasing of our people, and let us fight for our people. a1670Spalding Troub. Chas. I (Bannatyne Club) II. 286 Whill his loissis wes set wp.
ee. To bring to a proper state of health and strength; to restore to health.
1727Boyer Dict. Royal II, To set one up again..(to recover his Health). 1804Nelson Lett. (1814) II. 63 A little of your good nursing, with ass's milk, will set me up for another campaign. 1863Mrs. Carlyle Lett. III. 170, I returned from that visit quite set up. 1889Mrs. E. Lynn Linton Thro' Long Night II. ii. xiii. 200 Change is just what Estelle wants to set her up again.
**** ff. To put away for future use, lay up in store, store away. Obs. or dial.
1421Coventry Leet Bk. 33 Þat hur hoost haue in charge that they bryng all hur fysche in-to the markett, without they sett up any fische in any othur fyschers houses. 1530Palsgr. 716/1 Go, set up this bagge of monaye, tyll I call for it. 1588Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1901) 242 Mellons, Cytrons, and such like,..were..reserued and set vp. 1617Moryson Itin. iii. 82 They beginne them in the midst of the broade side, making a round hole there, into which hole, when the cheese is to be set vp, they put some few drops of wine. 1729Swift Direct. Serv. ii. ⁋7 If your lady orders you to set up a piece of meat for supper. 1730T. Boston in Morrison Mem. ix. (1899) 221, I refused to eat;..and the meat was set up again untasted. 1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 393 The corn is then set up, that is, set down in the sacks on the floor, and remains there unemptied.
† gg. To put (a horse, etc.) up in a stable; occas. to keep (cattle) up to fatten them. Obs.
c1440Alphabet of Tales 124 He went privalie into þe stabyll þer þe knightis man had sett vp her hors. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §68 Yf she be rydden vppon, and sette vp hotte. 1540Palsgr. Acolastus v. v. B b j b, The caulfe that is well fatted. i. that is set vp to be made fatte. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 46 My Companion..sets vp his Asses in the Stable. a1713T. Ellwood Autobiogr. (1714) 21 When I..had set up my Horse at an Inn. 1768Boyer's Dict. Royal II. s.v., To set up a coach..Dételer les chevaux d'un carrosse.
***** hh. (a) To put into an attitude of hostility or opposition; to incite, instigate.
a1586Sidney Ps. vii. vi, Arise, O Lord, in wrath thy self up sett Against such rage of foes. 1601Shakes. All's Well i. i. 35 Hee was skilfull enough to haue liu'd stil, if knowledge could be set vp against mortallitie. 1606― Tr. & Cr. v. iv. 13 They set me vp in pollicy, that mungrill curre Aiax, against that dogge of as bad a kinde, Achilles. 1803Pic Nic No. 4 (1806) I. 144 They set up argument against matter of fact. 1804–6Syd. Smith Mor. Philos. (1850) 218 Sudden variation,..in a great scale, is most commonly either grand or sublime; it sets all the faculties up in arms. 1818Scott Rob Roy xxxii, As for them that have abused your Grace's ear, and set you up against a man that [etc.]. 1884G. Allen Philistia III. xxvi. 27 The environment is too strong for you; and if you set yourself up against it, it'll crush you. 1894J. T. Fowler Adamnan Introd. 33 This one has perhaps been set up as a rival to an earlier St. Patrick's Purgatory.
(b) Hunting. To bring to bay. Also fig.
1608Chapman Trag. Byron v. Q 4, As a Sauadge Bore that (hunted longe, Assayld and set vp) with his onely eyes, Swimming in fire keepes of the baying hounds. 1747Tricks of Town laid open (ed. 3) 31 You see, Sir, how naturally all these Beasts of Prey hunt a Country Squire, and..they seldom lose the Scent till they have set him up (as you phrase it) brought him to a Bay. 1889Field 12 Jan. 41/3 The hounds..came up with their stag there, and set him up to bay at this well-known landmark.
****** ii. To put forward (a claim, defence, a case in law).
1697Mem. Trans. Savoy 123 Several Reasons engage the French King to set up anew his Title to Savoy. 1813Shelley Q. Mab iv. 77 That apology Which kings who rule, and cowards who crouch, set up For their unnumbered crimes. 1821Scott Kenilw. xvii, After setting up a vain and unjust pretence to the throne of England. 1855[see alibi n.]. 1856N. Brit. Rev. XXVI. 201 The best defence is that which..has been set up by M. de Remusat. 1858[see claim n.1]. 1885Bowen in Law Rep. 10 Prob. Div. 194 The husband sets up in bar a deed of separation.
jj. To advance, propose, put forward (a theory, idea, plan).
1803Pic Nic No. 3 (1806) I. 87 They seem to have set up for themselves a peculiar test of their merit. 1843Ruskin Mod. Paint. (1851) I. Pref. p. xiv, They are rejoiced to set up a standard of imaginary excellence. 1883Fenn Middy & Ensign xii. 70 You set up a theory of your own. 1890I. D. Hardy New Othello III. x. 211 You set up those false and morbid scruples between yourself and me.
******* intr. kk. To sit up (late at night). Now U.S., dial. or vulgar.
1697C'tess D'Aunoy's Trav. (1706) 201 In this Season they set up till four or five a Clock in the Morning because of the heats. 1776S. J. Pratt Pupil of Pleas. II. 208, I find the whole family..is to set up. 1822E. Nathan Langreath I. 176 You forget, my child, how late you set up at night. 1935R. Bass in Scribner's Mag. Feb. 122/1 The body must never be left alone for an instant until it is left in the grave. It must be ‘set up’ with. 1968E. R. Buckler Ox Bells & Fireflies ix. 127 Neighbors took turns ‘setting up’ with the patient night after night.
ll. (orig. absol. of aa.) To start in business, begin the exercise of a trade or profession.
Formerly const. for, now as (with the n. connoting the occupation); in recent use also with simple n. as compl.
1593Nashe Christ's T. 46 b, My young Merchant returnes, and settes vppe fresher then euer he did. 1647N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. iii. (1739) 7 They had but new set up, and had not yet found out the right way of Trade. 1691Wood Ath. Oxon. I. 377 He set up for a writing-master. a1704T. Brown Laconics Wks. 1711 IV. 11 A Wit and a Beau set up with little or no Expense. 1779Mirror No. 67 Your predecessor, The Spectator, used to be consulted in cases of difficulty. I know not if you, Mr. Mirror, set up on the same footing. 1809Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) II. vi. 237 Ballantyne's brother is setting up here as a bookseller. 1882Sat. Rev. 19 Aug. 247/1 When people had set up in business. 1891Ibid. 26 Dec. 728/1 He even set up smuggler on his own account.
mm. to set up for. (a) to set up for oneself, to start on a career on one's own account.
1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 55 He got him a Stocke, to set vp for himselfe in the world. 1701W. Wotton Hist. Rome 268 Three of them set up for themselves, Pescennius Niger in the East, Septimius Severus in Illyricum, and Clodius Albinus in Britain. 1727Boyer Dict. Royal II. s.v., After this Victory over Mark Anthony, Augustus had a mind to set up for himself. 1852C. W. Hoskyns Talpa xviii. (1854) 153 No sooner is a new thought imparted, than it sets up for itself, and denies its pedigree.
(b) To put oneself forward as (a person of a certain kind or class), to lay claim to being (so-and-so). Also, to set up for being (so-and-so).
1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, To set up for a Reformer. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables lxvii. 66 Shall any Man..that Willfully..procures the Cutting of whole Armies to Pieces, set up for an Innocent? 1709E. Ward tr. Cervantes 206 Covetous Men commonly set up for being very long sighted. 1716J. Craggs Let. to Pope 2 Sept., I fancy I am..setting up for a wit. 1765Foote Commissary i. (1782) 17 Sim... Why he must be upwards of — Mrs. Mech. Fifty, I warrant. Sim. Rather late in life to set up for a gentleman. 1849Tait's Mag. XVI. 237/1, I do not set myself up for a purist. 1889Harper's Mag. Mar. 557/1, I don't set up for a beauty.
† (c) To have as one's object or goal. Obs.
1685Stillingfl. Orig. Brit. ii. 50 Clodius Albinus having set up for the Empire in Britain, and being beaten by Severus. 1705Addison Italy 504 Whether or no they have done well, to set up for making another kind of Figure, Time will witness. 1707Diverting Muse i. 6 An Old Lady, who has bury'd Six Husbands and sets up for the Seventh.
† (d) To support the claims of. Obs.
1689T. R. View Gov. Eur. 4 Ahaz's Dial is no President for our time or measures; nor may the Theocracy of the Jews authorize us to set up for King Jesus. 1691W. Nicholls Answ. Naked Gospel 97 The first then that stood up for this Heterodoxy was Michael Servetus..who..set up for the Unitarian Doctrine in Europe.
(e) To lay claim to (a quality, virtue, etc.). Also, † to lay claim to having (a concrete possession).
1698Collier Immor. Stage 226 This Spark sets up for Sense. 1698Farquhar Love & Bottle ii. i, Had the Land⁓lady but a Highland Piper to joyn with 'em, she might set up for a Collection of Monsters. 1741Richardson Pamela III. 127 If People will set up for Virtue, and all that, let 'em be uniformly virtuous. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. xv, No doubt..you have known ladies set up for wit that had none. 1865M. E. Braddon Sir Jasper xxii, I suppose Pauncefort sets up for originality.
nn. (absol. of ii.) To lay claim or pretend to be.
a1849M. Edgeworth Pop. Tales, Rosanna v, What more could we have, if we were to set up to be gentry? 1889A. Sergeant Luck of House I. xxi. 286 You need not set up to be virtuous.
† oo. (orig. absol. of gg.) To put up at an inn or other lodging. Obs.
1684A. Behn Novels (1722) II. 325 Bellamora..was obliged to lodge..at the same Inn where the Stage-Coach set up. 1745Life Bampfylde-Moore Carew 92 He..then rode away Post-Haste to Exeter; where being arrived he sets up at the Oxford Inn. 1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) IV. 105 On setting up for the night, I rejoiced to find..Louisa was..alive. 1780S. J. Pratt Emma Corbett civ. 209 Every house where the stages set up. 1819Lady Morgan in Mem. (1862) II. 116 We set up at the Nova-Yorka [Hotel], kept by an Englishwoman.
pp. To punt, esp. so as to get close to water-fowl to shoot them. (Cf. sense 110.)
1776C. Carroll Jrnl. Miss. Canada in B. Mayer Mem. (1845) 47 In many places the current was so strong that the batteau men were obliged to set up with poles, and drag the boat by the painter. 1824Hawker Instr. Yng. Sportsmen (ed. 3) 343 If we can neither find a creek nor a ‘latch’, with sufficient water to set up to birds. 1882Payne-Gallwey Fowler Irel. 26 Illustr., Wexford floatmen setting up to fowl together.
qq. Of a cart: To tip up. local.
1841Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. II. ii. 178 The carts..are..larger, and with moveable bodies, so as to set up for the purpose of turning out their load at once.
rr. Of a soft-nosed bullet: To expand on impact.
1896Times 16 Dec. 5/2 The metal covering at the point being made thin and the lead core slightly exposed, the result being that the bullet ‘set up’ on striking any object. 1898Engineer 4 Mar. 216/2 A bullet should do more than make a man rub his leg some hours afterwards. Consequently efforts have been directed to causing bullets to set up on impact.
☛ Key to phrases and idiomatic uses.
Uses of the passive: (= be seated) 4, (= be arranged) 16, (= be situated) 176, (= be resolved, determined, fixed, settled, rigid) 92, 93, 94 b, 95 c, 97 b, (= be hostile) 117 c; to be s with 119; to be s round or about (with) 121; to be keen s, sharp s 75 b; to be hard s, ill s 122 b.
Uses of the intransitive: (= sit) 5, (= sit on eggs) 5 b, (= subside) 8, heave and s 10, (= stake) 14 b, (= become fixed, rigid, solid, coagulated) 94 b, 95 b, c, d, 97 c, (of fruit or blossom) 98 b, (= set in) 100 b, (in dancing) 103, (in bowls) 104 b, (= proceed, start off) 106, (of a current) 107, (= punt) 110, (of a setter) 123 c; see also branches XI and XII.
Set about (prep.) 127, (adv.) 133; s above 26 b; s abroach 134; s abroad 135; s adown 136; s afloat 137; s against (= attack) 128; s one person against another 117; s aland 108 b; s aloft 26 b; s apart 138; s ashore 108 b; s aside 139; s at (= attack) 129; s away 140; s the axe to 20 d; s back 141; s one on another's back 47 b; s a bargain 55 b; s before one or one's eyes 18 c; s a bell 66; s a bone 79; s to book 26; s bounds to 48; s a butterfly 83; s by 91 c, 142; s case 87; s caution 13; s the chase 124; s a clock 85; s a colour 96 b; s a copy 54 b; s (to) corners 103; s one's countenance 94; s dead 123 c; s a dog on 116; s down 143; s an edge on 42; s the edge of 75; s eggs 15 d; s an end to 58; s on end 28; s an example 54; s (one's) eyes on 39; s a fabric 82; s a or one's face 94; s a (good) face upon 41; s one's fancy on 37; s a fashion 54; s in feu 57; s the field 70; s a fine 86; s fire to 34; s on fire 25 b; s a flock 100; s (one's) foot 19; s footing 19 d; s forth 144; s forward(s 145; s to fowl 110; s free 25 b; s the fruit 98; s game 123; s a gin 59; s a gloss on 41; s (on, a-) going 114 b, c, d; s gone 114 e; s in hand 27; s in one's hand 18 b; s one's hand against, on, to 19 b, c; s one's hand (= signature) to 23; s one's heart on 37; s a hen 1 c; s (on) high 62 b; s home 108 d; s on horseback 1; s in 146; s (= tune) an instrument 77; s into 107, 130; s the keel 110; s land 69; s on land 108 b; s the land 124; s in lease 57; s (at) light 89 c; s light by 91 e; s lightly (littly) by 91 f; s a limit 48; s lines 59; s little by (of, to) 91, etc.; s at little 89 b; s loose 25 b; s to lore 26; s a mark on 40; s a mast 60; s a match 56; s a meal 71; s milk for cream 67 a; s one's mind on 37; s one's mouth 95; s much by 91; s to music 73; s upon the muzzle 26 d; s at naught 89 b; s naught by (of, to) 91 b, h; s a net 59; s nether 26 b; s not by 91 c; s off 147; s on 131, 148; s a person on another 47 c; s open 28; s order in 58; s in order 25 b; s out 149; s over 150; s a person over another 47; s the pace 54 d; s (on, a-) packing 114 b, c, d; s a palette 71 c; s to partners 103; s a pattern 54; s at pawn 27; s pen to paper 18 h; s (= frame) a picture 63 b; s in (on) the pillory 18 d; s to places 103; s a plant 12, 101; s to pledge 27; s a pot 62; s a price on 91 h; s a price on one's head 43; s in prison 18 d; s the psalm 54 c; s a question 55 c; s a rate 86; s at a rate 89; s a razor 75; s remedy 32; s right 25 b; s a ruff 80; s the saddle 7; s sail 65 b; s to sale 27; s a saw 76; s to school 26; s on the sea 18 f; s one's seal 23; s on a seat 1; s the scene 74; s to seed 98 c; s a siege before 18 g; s in one's sight 18 c; s sight of 39 b; s a snare 59; s a song 73; s the sponge 67 b; s a squadron 70; s the stage 74; s a stake 14; s a step 19 d; s a stitch 60 b; s a stock 100; s a stone 63, 120 b; s a stroke 20; s the stroke 54 d; s a table 71; s in tack 57; s a task 55; s teeth on a plate 63 c; s one's teeth 95; s on a throne 1; s through 151; s a time for 51; s to (prep.) 113 c, (adv.) 152; s (= add) one thing to another 33; s together 153; s a trap 59; s tryst 56; s type 72; s up 154; s upon 132; s upright 28; s a varnish on 41; s a watch 45; s on the water 18 f; s a person on his (or the) way 111 b; s to wed 27; s one's wit at 117 b; s woad 96 a; s one's words 68 c; s on write 21.
See also the lists of phrases under senses 25, 89 b, 91.
Add:[B.] [III.] [17.] c. transf. To place the action of (a fictional or imaginative work) in a particular setting. Usu. in pass. Cf. lay v.1 20 b.
[1888H. Morley Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor 12 Shakespeare sets Falstaff in the close air of a tavern; and he has set his healthy women among fields by the riverside.] 1900Daily News 15 Aug. 6/4 The story, which is set in a middle-class milieu, succeeds in being homely. 1951G. Greene Lost Childhood 108 The novels were now set in Cumberland; the farms, the village shops, the stone walls, the green slope of Catbells became the background of her pictures and her prose. 1989M. Lane Literary Daughters ii. 66 Belinda, set in polite London society,..established Maria's range.
▪ IV. set, v.2
[f. set n.2]
trans. To group (pupils) into sets (see set n.2 2 d); also absol. Hence ˈsetting vbl. n.2
1953Organ. Comprehensive Secondary Schools (London County Council) 14 A practicable arrangement would be to re-set only across three adjacent forms. ‘Setting’ in this way would not determine the rate at which each set would work. 1957B. Simon New Trends in Eng. Educ. ii. 46, I will not ask the reader to follow me in the intricacies of fifth-year setting. 1962J. Vaizey Britain in Sixties v. 56 Some..feel that..children should be ‘setted’ for each subject. 1965Observer 7 Nov. 4/8 Mathematics teachers consider it necessary to set after two terms. 1973Morrison & McIntyre Teachers & Teaching (ed. 2) iii. 126 There is reason to believe that the practise of ‘setting’— different streaming for each of several subjects—reduces these effects. 1975Language for Life (Dept. Educ. & Sci.) xv. 224 Speaking purely for English, most of us have reservations about arrangements by which pupils are streamed or setted according to ability.
▪ V. set, ppl. a.|sɛt|
Forms: see set v.1 A. 3.
[pa. pple. of set v.1
When in concord with a following n., it was formerly often hyphened.]
I.
1. In various strictly participial uses, with reference to corresponding senses of the vb.a. Of a task, a subject of study or discourse: Imposed or prescribed. Now rare exc. in set book: a book ‘set’ or prescribed as one of the subjects; also set text.
a1300Cursor M. 26270 Quen nede es for to slak þe sett penance þat es for plight. 1709Steele & Swift Tatler No. 66 ⁋1 When you are to talk on a Set Subject. 1863W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting i. 2 My natural aversion to any set task. 1888Daily News 5 Nov. 5/2 Set books are for a Tripos the exception rather than the rule. 1966N. Nicolson in H. Nicolson Diaries & Lett. (1966) 28 He read..the whole of Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes because it was my set-book at school. 1968Listener 22 Aug. 244/3 By the end of 1967, however, it had sold more than 15,000 copies, mainly because a few enterprising examining bodies had chosen it as a set book for A-level GCE. 1982Times 12 Aug. 8/3 Mrs. Thatcher's Family Policy Committee has been given a set text in the form of a paper by the recently appointed head of the Downing Street Policy Unit.
†b. Of law: Imposed by definite enactment; = positive 1. Obs.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 17 Hit is iset lage..þat me sal children fuluhtnie. c1320Cast. Love 170 Two lawen Adam scholde..holden In Paradis: Þat on him was þorw kynde i-let, Þat oþer was clept lawe I-set. Ibid. 193 Þe kuyndeliche and þe set ek, Boþe his lawen he to-brek.
†c. Of plants or trees: Planted, not self-sown or growing wild. Also, that has been ‘set’ or dibbled, not ‘sown’ broadcast. Obs.
1562Turner Herbal ii. 60, ii. sortes of sowen or set myrtel trees. Ibid. 60 b, The set or gardin Myrt tre. 1644Symonds Diary (Camden) 44 Round about the howse many rowes of sett tall oakes. 1780Lett. & Pap. Bath Soc. I. 15 A whole field was sown, and set, in alternate stetches... The produce of the set part was eight bushels per acre more than the sown.
†d. Provided with a musical setting. Obs.
1598Yong Diana 237 The sweetenes of a Set-song. 1600Bodenham Eng. Helicon 4 M. Birds set Song. 1706A. Bedford Temple Mus. xi. 226 Our Psalm Tunes were composed before any of our Set Services.
e. Placed in a setting, mounted.
1535Coverdale 1 Chron. xxx [xxix.]. 2 Onix stones, set Rubyes [1611 stones to be set], and stones of dyuerse coloures. a1732[see new-set ppl. a.].
f. Inserted in a fixed framework, built in.
set bowl (U.S.), a lavatory basin. set tub (U.S.), a tub for washing, fixed in masonry. Also set-pot (see 8).
1884Howells Silas Lapham (1891) I. 66 I'll do the wash.., said Mrs. Lapham. I presume you'll let me have set tubs. 1899― Ragged Lady 185 He sympathized with her in her wish that there was a set-bowl in her room.
g. Of the teeth: Clenched.
1810Scott Lady of L. iii. xi, With set teeth and clenched hand. 1876A. J. Evans Through Bosnia viii. 368 The sailors..with set teeth laboured at the oars as for grim life.
h. Of types: That have been ‘set up’.
1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. ii. iv, Your military ranked Arrangement going all (as the Typographers say of set types, in a similar case) rapidly to pie!
i. Of jelly: that has become firm. Cf. set v.1 97 a, c.
1973Cooking for Today (Good Housekeeping) 264/4 Pour half this vanilla jelly on to the set coffee jelly. 1974M. Lindlaw Super Sweets & Puddings 58 Make up the Angel Delight..and pipe or swirl on to the set jelly.
2. Appointed or prescribed beforehand; † appointed for observance by the Church. Hence (with sense less distinctly ppl.), Fixed, definite, not subject to uncertainty or alteration.
a. Of a point of time.
c1050Laws Northumb. Priests §36 (Liebermann) 382 Ᵹif preost on ᵹesetne timan tida ne ringe oððe tida ne singe. c1205Lay. 25459 Arður þa hehte aðelest kinge to ane isette time þat folc isomnien. a1225Ancr. R. 412 Ȝif out limpeð misliche þet ȝe beon nout i-huseled i þeos i-sette termes. 1375Barbour Bruce viii. 213 Quhen the set day cumin was He sped him fast toward the place. c1477Caxton Jason 14 b, The triews faylled at time sette and exspired. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. (1617) 377 Festiuall Solemnities and set-dayes. 1628Earle Microcosm. (Arb.) 37 An old Colledge Butler..keepes the set houres at his booke more duly then any. a1659Bp. Brownrig Serm. (1674) I. i. 12 God..sets much by them, that put him not off with some set-dayes service. 1701Swift Contests Nobles & Commons Wks. 1755 II. i. 28 The set time for payment. 1769E. Bancroft Guiana 325 The Indians have no set time of eating. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. vi. i, There will not have arrived, at the set day, Three-thousand of them in all.
b. Of wages, income, rent, quantity. Now rare.
a1225Ancr. R. 428 Non ancre seruant ne ouhte..uorto asken i-sette huire, bute mete & cloð. 1504Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. II. 262 Item, to the said Maister Andro, that he gaif in almous be the Kingis command, by the set almous..xxxjs. 1587R. Hovenden in Collect. (O.H.S.) I. 217 Which a sett rent can no wise affoord. 1593Nashe Christ's T. Wks. 1910 II. 149 Half a Crowne..is the sette pryce of a strumpets soule. 1633Massinger Guardian i. i, Some..make a set living on't. 1651Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxii. 123 It is not a set number that makes the Assembly Unlawfull. 1705Addison Italy, Switzerl. 480 Handsom Fountains planted at set Distances from one End of the Streets to the other. 1851Helps Comp. Solit. ix. (1854) 157 There always will be a set amount of wrongdoing. 1891Labour Commission Gloss., Set wages, a fixed weekly wage, apart altogether from piece-work.
c. Of rules, order, a form of words, etc.
1570–6Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 239 The..Prince⁓like Palaices..which the Archbishops..kept..to perfourme their set solemnities of housekeeping. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xxvi. §1 A strange conceipt, that to serue God with any set forme of common prayer is superstitious. a1619M. Fotherby Atheom. ii. i. §7 (1622) 182 As strictly tied vnto his set-motion, as a Mill-horse to his Mill. 1630Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. lxxx. (1633) 200 The Monarchical government requires a constant and regular course of the set degrees of rule and inferiority. 1705Stanhope Paraphr. II. 215 A long preparation of set Diet. 1710Berkeley Princ. Hum. Knowl. §30 The set rules or established methods. 1871Earle Philol. Eng. Tongue §292 The set words of a proverb. 1883J. Gilmour Mongols xvii. 201 Our religious system has no set form of liturgy to be got off by heart and repeated.
†d. Of persons, things, places: Fixed, specified, definite. Obs.
1594? Greene Selimus 327 Things that were as common as the day, Did then to set possessors first obey. 1709Shaftesbury Moralists i. i. 5 There are formal Set-Places, where..there is enough said and taught of this kind.
e. Of a meal in a hotel, etc.: consisting of a predetermined collection of dishes or items of food at a fixed price.
1914‘Saki’ Beasts & Super-Beasts 308 The one-and-sixpenny set dinner receded..to a Sunday extravagance. 1923C. Stone Let. 30 June in C. Mackenzie My Life & Times (1966) V. 250, I fancy F. will get herself set teas, and other meals out. 1938D. du Maurier Rebecca xxvi. 423 Colonel Julyan waded through the whole set lunch. 1957W. Camp Prospects of Love iii. i. 148 She promptly chose the five shilling set meal. 1973J. Pattinson Search Warrant vii. 105 If you have the set lunch, it comes cheaper. 1978Times 3 June 11/4 There was an advertised set lunch at {pstlg}5.50 plus VAT.
3. Deliberate, intentional.
a. Of a purpose or design: Deliberately conceived. Chiefly in phrases, of (or † on, † a) set purpose (see purpose n. 10, 11).
1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 84 To byde in felde fermly of sett purpos..cummys of a calde sett mynde confermyt in hardyness with deliberacioun. 1530Palsgr. 835/1 Evyn a set purpose. 1581G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. (1586) 24 b, How much more hainous those faults are which are committed of set mallice, then those which are done of blinde ignorance. 1600in R. M. Fergusson Logie (1905) II. 22 note, Cruellie slaine be yame..vpon sait purpois and foirthocht fellonie. 1695Woodward Nat. Hist. Earth vi. (1723) 303 Should a Man go about with never so set Study and Design. 1872Morley Voltaire 57 This fatal predominance was first founded, though assuredly not of set design, by Voltaire.
b. Of phrases, forms of expression: Deliberately composed, not spontaneously arising. Also, customary, ‘stereotyped.’ Cf. 5 d.
in good set terms: often used (after the context of the Shakes. example) for ‘roundly’, ‘with outspoken severity’.
1600Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. vii. 17, I met a foole i'th Forrest..Who..rail'd on Lady Fortune in good termes, In good set termes, and yet a motley foole. 1695J. Edwards Author. O. & N. Test. III. 382 The set sayings of the Stoicks. a1700Evelyn Diary 27 Jan. 1689, He did this without any set or formal repetitions, as one who had learn'd things without book. 1827Scott Surg. Dau. ix He drew it up in good set terms, like one who had his senses much at his command. 1832Lewis Use & Ab. Pol. Terms Introd. 1 The set phrase of Scientific inquirers. 1860Motley Netherl. x. (1865) II. 85 The governor-general..often denounced him in good set terms. 1861Dickens Gt. Expect. xxxii, It had no set beginning, as Dear Mr. Pip, or Dear Pip.
†c. Contrived in order to deceive. Obs.
1603Florio Montaigne i. v. 10 Nor by surprises, or stratagems by night, nor by set-flights [par fuittes apostees].
4. (In set battle, set field) = pitched ppl. a.1 2. Now rare (cf. sense 5).
1375Barbour Bruce viii. 367 The king, in set battalȝe..Vencust him with a gret menȝe. c1470Henry Wallace xi. 9 Off set battaillis fyve he dyscumfyt haill. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utopia ii. (1895) 257 In set fylde the wyues doo stande euerye one by here owne husbandes syde. 1572J. Sadler tr. Vegetius Pref. {fatpara}*. ii. b, Whether they should fight in skirmishe, or set battel. 1664–5Pepys Diary 17 Feb., He hath fought more set fields than any man in England hath done. 1773Hampton Polybius IV. Contents xiv, The Carthaginians..are defeated in a set engagement.
transf.1883F. M. Crawford Dr. Claudius xvii, I challenged her to a set flirtation.
5. Formal, ceremonious, regular.
a. As the designation of a particular style of handwriting: see quots. Now only Hist.
1513[see hand n. 16]. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, iii. vi. 2 Here is the Indictment..Which in a set Hand fairely is engross'd. 1685Matlock Fax Nova Artis Scribendi 6 The Set-Hand is thought fittest..for Ingrossing all Evidences of Lands. Ibid. 11 The English-Ingrossing-Hand, commonly called Set-Secretary. 1784Astle Orig. Writ. v. 98 The writing which prevailed in England from..596 to the middle of the eleventh century, is generally termed Saxon, and may be divided into five kinds, namely, the Roman Saxon, the Set Saxon, the Running hand Saxon, the Mixed Saxon, and the Elegant Saxon. Ibid. 143 The specimens of the charters..are composed partly of characters called Set Chancery and Common Chancery. 1885E. M. Thompson in Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 156/2 In the 8th century appears the set book-hand in an even..character.
b. Of a meal, a meeting for business or pleasure: Carefully pre-arranged; attended with some degree of ceremony or formality; stated, regular, formal. So † set table.
1606Holland Sueton. 71 He feasted daily: and never otherwise than at a set table [L. cena recta]. 1653H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. ii. 3 Keeping a set table for above seven hundred persons. 1680Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) 95 They have one most egregious piece of Roguery more, and that is playing the High-Game at Putt; and this is to be done but once at a Sett-meeting. 1693Locke Educ. §14 (1699) 21 The Romans usually fasted till Supper; the only set Meal, even of those who eat more than once a Day. 1718Free-thinker No. 19. 133 His Physicians advised him to leave off Set-Suppers. 1818in Lady Morgan Autobiog. (1859) 166 It is not a set party, but one without full dress or ceremony. 1862Chamb. Encycl. s.v. Curling, These bon⁓spiels or set matches, are contested with immense spirit. 1868E. Edwards Ralegh I. xxii. 495 The ambassador would fain have discussed such grave matters only at a set audience.
†c. Of costume: Suited to ceremonial occasions.
1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 390 The set dress of the Persian. 1676G. Etherege Sir Fopling Flutter iv. ii, We should not always be in a Set Dress.
d. Of a discourse, treatise, etc.: Elaborate, composed in due form; expressly or systematically dealing with a subject.
set speech: public speech more or less elaborate; an oration, as distinguished from extemporaneous or informal utterances.
1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (1884) 12, I am inforcid rather to bungle up a pelting histori then to write a set epistle. 1608Chapman Trag. Byron v. i. Q 1, The most lawierly deliuery Of his set speeches. 1655Stanley Hist. Philos. (1701) 4 He did not confine himself to set Lectures in the Chair. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. ii. §2 A learned man hath in a set discourse endeavoured to shew the great defects that were in it. 1760–2Goldsm. Cit. W. xxx, I had prepared a set introductory speech for the occasion. 1817Moore Lalla Rookh (1824) 126 The young lady dies, in a set speech. 1834Macaulay Ess., Pitt ⁋29 He was no speaker of set speeches. His few prepared discourses were complete failures. 1886C. E. Pascoe London of To-day viii. (ed. 3) 89 It is not easy to learn beforehand when the great popular leaders may be expected to make set orations.
†e. Regularly established. Obs.
1702C. Mather Magn. Chr. iv. Introd. (1852) 9 They soon determined..that set-schools are so necessary there is no doing without them.
6. That has assumed a permanent form or condition; immovable, persistent.
a. Of facial expression, looks, or countenance, tones of voice: Fixed, rigid, unvarying.
1605Chapman All Fools iv. i, A set countenance Of rage and choller. a1625Fletcher Nice Valour 1, Look, who comes here, sir! his love fit's upon him: I know it, by that set smile, and those congies. 1760Franklin Ess. Wks. 1840 II. 127 Those even, set tones, so common among readers. 1865Swinburne Poems & Ball., Two Dreams 28 The heavy sun's Set face of heat stopped all the songs. 1892Bierce In Midst of Life 96 In that set immobile face was no sign; it was as hard as bronze.
b. Of a feeling, attitude of mind: Fixed, settled, immovable. † Of action: Resolute. Also (dial. and U.S.) of persons: Obstinate. (Cf. hard-set 3.)
a1625Fletcher False One iv. ii, Why do you frowne? good gods, what a set-anger Have you forc'd into your face! 1650Baxter Saint's R. iv. vi. (1654) 146 The set and solemn acting of all the powers of the soul. 1748Richardson Clarissa (1811) III. 38, I can not, at present, write to every particular unless I would be in set defiance. 1848Bartlett Dict. Amer. s.v., He is very set in his ways. 1848Lowell Biglow P. Ser. i. ix (end), Wen I hev once made up my mind, a meet'nhus aint sotter. 1896Harper's Mag. Apr. 680/1 ‘You are a terribly set person,’ she said,..after she had consented to let him have his own way.
c. Of a kind of weather: Persistent, likely to continue some time. So quasi-adv. in set fair (also fig. and in extended use).
set fair is usually marked on English barometers at the point indicating that the height of the mercury is 30½ inches.
1699W. Dampier Voy. II. ii. 55 Then you have set Rains till the latter end of August. 1823–4Encycl. Metrop. (1845) XV. 281 To the next half-inch below this highest point are written set fair on the one side, and set frost on the other. 1842Dickens Amer. Notes xiv. (1893) 167 The road..was certainly enough to have shaken tempers that were not resolutely at Set Fair, down to some inches below Stormy. 1873Browning Red Cotton Night-Cap Country ii. 108 Like some kindly weathercock..stuck fast at Set Fair. 1921W. de la Mare Mem. Midget xxix. 197 Her mood, like our weather that April, was almost always ‘set fair’. 1978J. Pearson Façades xxiii. 399 Everything appeared set fair for the happiest of stays.
†d. Of demeanour: Composed, grave. Obs.
a1660in Morris Troubles Cath. Foref. (1872) i. vi. 286 She was always of a set and womanly carriage, not wild or given much to play.
e. Chiefly predicative: Of settled form or habit of body.
1861Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. ii, The other man was evidently a year or two older than himself, his figure was more set. 1861Temple Bar IV. 53 Their limbs are not sufficiently ‘set’ to prevent serious accidental injury. 1894Sir J. D. Astley 50 Yrs. Life I. 144 Orme was, as we should say of a racehorse, ‘too set.’
7. With prefixed adv.: Having a specified position, location, arrangement, conformation, build, adjustment, disposition, pitch, etc.
See broad-set (broad a. D. 2), deep-set, fine-set (fine a. D. 2 b), firm-set (firm a. C. 2), hard-set, high set, ill-set, low-set (low a. 5), strong-set, thick-set, thin-set (thin a. D. II), well-set.
13..K. Alis. 7112 Cadace was a ferly best, Thries set [Laud MS. shet] teth was in his teste.
II. Combinations.
8. In special collocations (most of which are hyphened as compounds, and often stressed on the first syllable): † set board Sc., (a) ? a washboard in a ship [cf. Du. zetboord, G. setzbord]; (b) some kind of table; set changes Bell-ringing = set peal; † set cloth, a kind of worsted fabric; set copper, a form of metallic copper containing about 6 per cent of cuprous oxide, produced by oxidation during refining; set dance, a quadrille, country-dance, or the like; set iron [cf. Du. zetijzer, G. setzeisen] Shipbuilding, a bar of soft iron, admitting of being bent so as to be used for transferring curves from the scrive-board to the bending plate; set joint U.S. slang (see quots. and flat joint (b) s.v. flat a. 15); set line [cf. Du. zetlijn], a fishing-line with baited hooks, pegged or anchored; also attrib.; † set match, an agreement, conspiracy, an appointment made for a highway robbery (cf. to set a match, set v.1 56); set net, a fishing net fastened across a stream or channel, into which the fish are driven; † set peal Bellringing, a ringing of a peal of bells in one position for a considerable length of time before a change is given; set point, the value of a physical quantity that an automatic controller or regulator is set to maintain; also transf.; set-pot, ˈsetpot, (a) dial. a fixed cauldron or boiler used for heating water for domestic purposes; (b) a copper pan, heated by a special flue, used in making varnish, and for heating oil, size, etc.; † set-pull Bell-ringing, the position of a bell when raised so that it stands mouth upwards; set scene, an apparatus built up and placed in position upon a theatrical stage before the rise of the curtain; a collection of side scenes, ‘skies’, etc. depending upon one another for a particular effect; so set scenery; set scrum(mage), Rugby Football, an organized scrummage ordered by the referee during the course of play; opp. loose scrum(mage) s.v. loose a. 9; set shot Basketball, a shot at the basket made from a still position; set sod, a turf used in building up a bank of a ditch in the operation of water-tabling; set square, (a) a plate of wood, metal, etc. in the form of a right-angled triangle, the acute angles being either 60° and 30° or both 45°, used by draughtsmen as a guide for drawing lines at one of these angles; (b) a form of T-square with an additional arm turning on a pivot, for drawing lines at fixed angles to the head; (c) a joiner's square; † set-stitched a., ? of ‘set-work’ embroidery; set stocking Agric. (orig. N.Z.), the grazing of animals, esp. sheep, in the same pasture for a considerable period; so set-stock v. trans. See also set-work.
1512Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. IV. 456 Item..for xvc seym and ruf for the *set burdis of the greit schip. 1529Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. (1883) 178 A comptar burd price 2 markis, a set burd with formis and trestis price 13s. 4d.
1677[Stedman] Campanalogia 169 For such as have not yet attain'd the skill to ring these compleat peals, *Sett⁓changes are very proper for them, being easie. 1688Holme Armoury iii. 462/2 Ringing in Set Changes, that is, the Bells being Set, they order which Bell shall lead away & what to follow. 1872Ellacombe Bells of Ch. iii. in Ch. Bells Devon 231 Its members rang nothing but rounds and set changes, till about the year 1642, when single changes were first attempted.
1467–8Rolls of Parlt. V. 629 Divers Wollen Clothes, some called brode *sette Clothes, and that other called streite sette Clothes. 1523Act 14 & 15 Hen. VIII, c. 11 Vesses, otherwise called Sette clothes of diuers colours.
1904Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers XXXIV. 671 Some of the copper is oxidized to cuprous oxide and dissolved by the metal bath. When the quantity of dissolved cuprous oxide has reached about 6 per cent, the metal is said to have been brought to ‘*set-copper’. 1959J. Newton Extractive Metallurgy vi. 376 Usually it is not possible to take any short-cuts in refining copper—the metal must be carried to the set-copper stage and then poled.
1712Addison Spect. No. 434 §5 Several Regular Tunes and *Sett Dances. 1800Weems Washington ii. (1877) 11 He has carried down many a sett dance with her.
1874Thearle Naval Archit. 83 When the scrive board is used, a flat rod of soft iron termed the ‘*set iron’ is bent to the curvature.
1926Maines & Grant Wise-Crack Dict. 14/1 *Set joint, unbeatable game. 1931Amer. Speech VI. 335 Set⁓joint,..a gambling device operated with a numbered wheel and arrow-spindle. These are always fitted with a gimmick which prevents the customer from winning too often, or which may be used by the operator to lead the customer on until he will place a large bet, when the operator applies the gimmick and the customer loses.
1865J. G. Bertram Harvest of Sea 160 *Set-line-fishing..can only be practised in places where the tide recedes to a considerable distance.
1586J. Hooker Hist. Irel. 37/2 in Holinshed, These things came not thus to passe, as it were by a *set match. 1592Greene Discov. Coosenage C 3, When their other trades fail, as..y⊇ high lawier, when he hath no set match to ride about. 1614Bp. Hall Contempl. vii. Aaron's Censer 269 A set match betwixt the brethren.
1481–90Howard Househ. Bks. (Roxb.) 192 A *sett net of ij. fadom. 1745F. Blomefield Norfolk II. 866 Two Wardens of the Fishermen-Company..to inspect the Sett Netts belonging to them. 1863Rep. Sea Fisheries Comm. (1865) II. 1190/1 Small quantities of herrings were taken with set-nets close in-shore.
16..in Eng. Gilds 290 If the Master..shall neglect to warn the Company..for to ring a bisett *sett peale, he shall pay..one shilling.
1941T. J. Rhodes Industr. Instruments for Measurem. & Control ix. 419 Where it is not permissible for the process temperature to deviate for any appreciable period from the original *set point, it is necessary to use a mode of control previously described as proportional and floating. 1972Science 9 June 1125/1 One of the principal homeo⁓static ‘set points’, that for body temperature, seems to depend on the constant ratio of Na+ to Ca2 + in the caudal hypothalamus. 1975D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xxiv. 14 Display of the measurement, set point, and output levels is normally provided.
1839Ure Dict. Arts s.v. Varnish, Black japan is made by putting into the *set-pot 48 lbs. of Naples or any other of the foreign asphaltums. 1862Robinson Dial. Leeds, Set pot, a stone boiler or ‘copper’, with a fire-grate under, for the purpose of boiling and ‘stewing’ dirty linen. 1873E. Spon Workshop Rec. Ser. i. 65/2 Take the gum pot from the fire; let it cool for a few minutes, then pour it into the oil in the set pot.
1677[Stedman] Campanalogia 26 The falling of the bells from a *Set-pull. Ibid. 46 Supposing that a peal of 5 bells were raised, and rung at a Sett-pull.
1866‘Old Stager’ Stage Reminisc. ix. 122 The sizes and sets of yarns occupied his thoughts much less than theatrical ‘lengths’ and ‘*set scenes’. 1887Spectator 25 June 857/2 Theatrical speculators now spend such vast sums on the upholstery of their set scenes.
1854Fairholt Dict. Terms Art 382 The scenery..was entirely of the nature of what is now termed *set-scenery, regularly built up by carpenters before the curtain rises, to be taken to pieces again when it falls.
1938Macdonald & Rees Rugger Practice & Tactics ii. 34 Few tries are scored in good football by movements that start from a *set scrum. 1960E. S. & W. J. Higham High Speed Rugby xiv. 185 We deal with the set scrum first, because it forms the basis of loose scrums and loose rucks. 1977S. Wales Guardian 27 Oct. 16/3 By this stage Llandovery's forwards were dominating the set scrums.
1925R. M. Rayner Man. Rugby Football for Public Schools viii. 47 (heading) On getting possession in ‘*set’ scrummages. 1971Times 15 Feb. 9/4 Bryce, Miller and Moroney are an experienced front row and rubbed in the fact..at the set scrummages.
1940N.Y. Times 21 Jan. v1/3 The cadets, their *set shots hitting the mark with a remarkable degree of accuracy, gained the upper hand at the outset. 1976Milton Keynes Express 9 July 42/3 Wickham, Wynn and Waller were all desperately unlucky with set shots.
1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 574 After a few of these smaller sods have been made ready, the hedger lays them, with the grass side downwards, upon the edges of the *set-sods.
1854in Specif. Patents, Artists' Instr. (1872) 73 An improved artizans' tool, which may be used as a measuring rule, straight edge, *set square, T square, bevel, and plumb rule. 1857Binns Orthogr. Projection 1 One 8-inch set square. 1884Holtzapffel Turning V. 64 The sliderest is adjusted to it by means of the set square, an instrument with a straight shaft and a steel blade fixed to it at right angles. 1892E. Rowe Chip-Carving (1895) 15 The set-square of 45°. Ibid. 7 The 60° set-square.
1760Sterne Tr. Shandy III. xxix, An old *set-stitch'd chair.
1956N.Z. Jrnl. Sci. & Technol. A. XXXVII. 555 Most New Zealand farmers producing fat lambs..generally prefer to *set-stock the ewes and lambs from lambing time onwards. 1964Weekly News (Auckland) 21 Oct. 54/4 Under New Zealand conditions, ewes and lambs are usually set⁓stocked from lambing until weaning, although rotational grazing is practised on some farms. 1981–2Deer Farmer (N.Z.) Summer 8/3 Hinds are set-stocked or mob-stocked over winter at about 10 to the acre.
1950N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Feb. 100/2 Make sure that the calves are rotated through the paddocks at intervals of a few days. *Set stocking at this time of the year is bound to result in..some deaths. 1975Country Life 26 June 1702/1 In the last 35 years we would seem to have gone full circle—from set-stocking, strip-grazing, paddock-grazing..and now the so called ‘intensive’ set-stocking.
9. In parasynthetic derivatives. rare.
1614Chapman Androm. Lib. Ep. Ded. ⁋3 b, The one-ear'd Race Of set-eyed vulgars. 1615― Odyss. xvii. 602 You are a sawcy set-fac't Vagabond. 1633T. Stafford Pac. Hib. i. xi. 74 The treacherous Guid, who did upon a set purposed malice draw this Draught, was..hanged.
10. With adverbs (see the corresponding combinations of the vb.), as set-apart (rare), set-down, set-on, set-out, etc. With specific meaning: set-down nonce-use, described in books, recognized; set-in, (a) inserted, inset; (b) of rain, etc. that has set in or become continuous; set-off Sc., of part of a tenement, let off to a sub-tenant; set-on Sc. (see quot. 1825); set-up, (a) established; (b) in phr. well set-up (see quot. 1867; also in wider use); (c) dial. and colloq. conceited, ‘stuck up’; (d) of type, composed.
1830Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) I. 292 This act of choice baseness and *set-apart iniquity. 1858― Audi Alt. lxxvi. II. 28 All have sunk into a state of lamentable indifference, there is no burning zeal left except among the set-apart.
a1850Rossetti Dante & Circle ii. (1874) 281 'Tis no *set-down sickness that I have, Nor are my pains set down. 1884Ruskin Bible of Amiens i. 9 note, The first fixed and set-down footsteps.
1534Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. VI. 185 To be ane *set in nek to ane veluet slop. 1866Livingstone Last Jrnls. (1873) I. vi. 158 A set-in rain came on. 1875Knight Dict. Mech. 1534/2 Side-notes, marginal or set-in notes. 1895Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 280/2 Men's overshirts... Set in bosom, yoke back, [etc.]. 1969Sears Catal. Spring/Summer 37/3 Wing collar, set-in sleeves.
a1722Fountainhall Decis. I. 454 One may set *set-off chambers and parts of a house.
1825Jamieson, *Set-on, a term applied to what is singed or slightly burned in the pot or pan. 1864Q. Jrnl. Sci. I. 467 Well set-on tails and very sloping shoulders.
1710Palmer Proverbs 359 If the pomp..be carry'd out of proportion,..it is an ill *set-out ambition. 1809Malkin Gil Blas iii. iii. (Rtldg.) 87 There was no want of magnificence, good taste, or a well-designed set out table! 1607New-*set-up [see new-set ppl. a.]. 1856J. Kavanagh Rachel Gray iv. 66 Serve her right—the set up thing! 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. s.v., Soldiers, mariners, and small-arm men, well drilled, and instructed to be upright and soldierlike in their carriage, are ‘well set up’. 1878Encycl. Brit. VIII. 116/1 Set-up type is also sometimes copied thus.
▪ VI. † set, conj. Sc. Obs.
[Prob. evolved from the imperative or the pa. pple. (in absolute construction) of set v.1 in the sense ‘to put the case,’ ‘to suppose (that)’. Cf. G. gesetzt = ‘on the assumption that’.]
Though, although. Also with at (= that).
Very frequent in the Sc. Leg. Saints.
c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxvii. (Machor) 26 God mad hym to rest syn in fraunce,..til honouryt be, set þare a strangere was he. 1390Gower Conf. III. 345 And sett thou myhtest lust atteigne, Of every lust thende is a peine. c1425Wyntoun Cron. i. Prol. 33 And set to þis I gif my will My wit I ken sa skant þartill That I drede saire þame till offend. c1470Henry Wallace xi. 1432 Blaym nocht the buk, set I be wnperfyt. c1500Lancelot 99 And set yhoue clep one erbis and one treis, Sche heris not thi wo. 1513Douglas æneis vi. Prol. 31 Set thow think this bot sport. |