backset I. \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\noun (-s) Etymology:back (III) + set 1.: setback < a backset in his own personal finances — F.W.Crofts > < get out of bed too soon after an illness and suffer a backset > 2.: an eddy or countercurrent of water 3.: the distance from the face of a lock to the center of the keyhole II. transitive verb Etymology:back (II) + set West: to plow again in the fall (prairie land broken up in the spring)