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Set vs On - What's the difference?

set | on |

As a numeral set

is seven.

As a noun on is

lamb.

set

English

Etymology 1

* From (etyl) . * From (etyl) .

Verb

  • To put (something) down, to rest.
  • To attach or affix (something) to something else, or in or upon a certain place.
  • I have set my heart on running the marathon.
  • * Bible, Genesis iv. 15
  • The Lord set a mark upon Cain.
  • To put in a specified condition or state; to cause to be.
  • * Bible, Deuteronomy xxviii. 1
  • The Lord thy God will set thee on high.
  • * Bible, Matthew x. 35
  • I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother.
  • * Coleridge
  • Every incident sets him thinking.
  • (dated) To cause to stop or stick; to obstruct; to fasten to a spot.
  • to set a coach in the mud
  • To determine or settle.
  • To adjust.
  • To punch (a nail) into wood so that its head is below the surface.
  • To arrange with dishes and cutlery.
  • To introduce or describe.
  • *
  • An incident which happened about this time will set the characters of these two lads more fairly before the discerning reader than is in the power of the longest dissertation.
  • To locate (a play, etc.); to assign a backdrop to.
  • To compile, to make (a puzzle or challenge).
  • This crossword was set by Araucaria.
  • To prepare (a stage or film set).
  • To fit (someone) up in a situation.
  • To arrange (type).
  • To devise and assign (work) to.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=(Peter Wilby)
  • , volume=189, issue=6, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Finland spreads word on schools , passage=Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting .}}
  • (volleyball) To direct (the ball) to a teammate for an attack.
  • To solidify.
  • To render stiff or solid; especially, to convert into curd; to curdle.
  • to set milk for cheese
  • Of a heavenly body, to disappear below the horizon of a planet, etc, as the latter rotates.
  • (bridge) To defeat a contract.
  • To begin to move; to go forth.
  • * c. 1599 , (William Shakespeare),
  • The king is set from London, and the scene is now transported, gentles, to Southampton
  • (of fruit) To be fixed for growth; to strike root; to begin to germinate or form.
  • * 1906 , Canada. Dept. of Agriculture. Fruit Branch, Fruit crop report
  • In the Annapolis Valley, in spite of an irregular bloom, the fruit has set well and has, as yet, been little affected by scab.
  • (intransitive, Southern US, Midwestern US, dialects) To sit (be in a seated position).
  • * , chapter=7
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern.}}
  • To hunt game with the aid of a setter.
  • (hunting, ambitransitive) Of a dog, to indicate the position of game.
  • The dog sets the bird.
    Your dog sets well.
  • (obsolete) To apply oneself; to undertake earnestly; to set out.
  • * Hammond
  • If he sets industriously and sincerely to perform the commands of Christ, he can have no ground of doubting but it shall prove successful to him.
  • (ambitransitive) To fit music to words.
  • * Dryden
  • Set thy own songs, and sing them to thy lute.
    (Shakespeare)
  • (ambitransitive) To place plants or shoots in the ground; to plant.
  • to set pear trees in an orchard
  • * Old proverb
  • Sow dry, and set wet.
  • To become fixed or rigid; to be fastened.
  • (Francis Bacon)
  • To have a certain direction of motion; to flow; to move on; to tend.
  • The current sets''' to the north; the tide '''sets to the windward.
  • To place or fix in a setting.
  • to set a precious stone in a border of metal
    to set glass in a sash
  • * Dryden
  • And him too rich a jewel to be set / In vulgar metal for a vulgar use.
  • To put in order in a particular manner; to prepare.
  • to set (that is, to hone) a razor
    to set a saw
  • To extend and bring into position; to spread.
  • to set the sails of a ship
  • To give a pitch to, as a tune; to start by fixing the keynote.
  • to set a psalm
    (Fielding)
  • To reduce from a dislocated or fractured state.
  • to set a broken bone
  • (masonry) To lower into place and fix solidly, as the blocks of cut stone in a structure.
  • (obsolete) To wager in gambling; to risk.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I have set my life upon a cast, / And I will stand the hazard of the die.
  • To adorn with something infixed or affixed; to stud; to variegate with objects placed here and there.
  • * Dryden
  • High on their heads, with jewels richly set , / Each lady wore a radiant coronet.
  • * Wordsworth
  • pastoral dales thin set with modern farms
  • (obsolete) To value; to rate; used with at .
  • * Shakespeare
  • Be you contented, wearing now the garland, / To have a son set your decrees at naught.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I do not set my life at a pin's fee.
  • To establish as a rule; to furnish; to prescribe; to assign.
  • to set''' a good example; to '''set lessons to be learned
  • (Scotland) To suit; to become.
  • It sets him ill.
    Derived terms
    * reset * set about * set against * set ahead * set apart * set-aside * set a spell * set back * set by * set down * set foot * set forth * set forward * set in * set in motion * set in stone * set off * set on * set on a pedestal * set on fire * set one’s heart on * set out * set straight * set the cat among the pigeons * set the scene * set the table * set to * set up

    Noun

    (wikipedia set) (en noun)
  • A punch for setting nails in wood.
  • nail set
  • A device for receiving broadcast radio waves; a radio or television.
  • television set
  • A sett; a hole made and lived in by a badger.
  • (horticulture) A small tuber or bulb used instead of seed, particularly onion sets and potato sets.
  • The amount the teeth of a saw protrude to the side in order to create the kerf.
  • (obsolete, rare) That which is staked; a wager; hence, a gambling game.
  • * Shakespeare
  • We will in France, by God's grace, play a set / Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard.
  • * Dryden
  • That was but civil war, an equal set .
  • (engineering) Permanent change of shape caused by excessive strain, as from compression, tension, bending, twisting, etc.
  • the set of a spring
  • (piledriving) A piece placed temporarily upon the head of a pile when the latter cannot otherwise be reached by the weight, or hammer.
  • (printing, dated) The width of the body of a type.
  • A young oyster when first attached.
  • Collectively, the crop of young oysters in any locality.
  • A series of, a group of.
  • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Fixed in position.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author= Ian Sample
  • , volume=189, issue=6, page=34, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains , passage=Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits.  ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.}}
  • Rigid, solidified.
  • Ready, prepared.
  • Intent, determined (to do something).
  • Prearranged.
  • Fixed in one’s opinion.
  • (of hair) Fixed in a certain style.
  • Synonyms
    * determined, intent * (prearranged) dictated, prearranged, predetermined, prescribed, specified * (sense, fixed in one's opinion) fixed, rigid

    Derived terms

    * heavyset, heavy-set * nail set * mindset * moonset * offset * outset * photoset * preset * quickset * set-aside * saw set * set back * setback * set chisel * set for life * sethood * set-in * setlist * setter * set-to * sunset * television set * thickset * trendsetter * typeset * unset * upset

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) set, sete, . See (l).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A young plant fit for setting out; a slip; shoot.
  • A rudimentary fruit.
  • The setting of the sun or other luminary; (by extension) the close of the day.
  • * Tennyson
  • the set of day
  • * Shakespeare
  • The weary sun hath made a golden set .
  • (literally, and, figuratively) General movement; direction; drift; tendency.
  • Here and there, amongst individuals alive to the particular evils of the age, and watching the very set of the current, there may have been even a more systematic counteraction applied to the mischief. — Thomas De Quincey.
  • A matching collection of similar things.
  • a set of tables
  • A collection of various objects for a particular purpose.
  • a set of tools
  • An object made up of several parts.
  • a set of steps
  • (set theory) A collection of zero or more objects, possibly infinite in size, and disregarding any order or repetition of the objects which may be contained within it.
  • Set theory.
  • A group of people, usually meeting socially.
  • the country set
  • The scenery for a film or play.
  • (dance) The initial or basic formation of dancers.
  • (exercise) A group of repetitions of a single exercise performed one after the other without rest.
  • * 1974 , Charles Gaines & George Butler, Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding , page 22.
  • This is the fourth set of benchpresses.
  • (tennis) A complete series of games, forming part of a match.
  • (volleyball) A complete series of points, forming part of a match.
  • (volleyball) The act of directing the ball to a teammate for an attack.
  • (music) A musical performance by a band, disc jockey, etc., consisting of several musical pieces.
  • (music) A drum kit, a drum set.
  • He plays the set on Saturdays.
  • (UK, education) A class group in a subject where pupils are divided by ability.
  • * '>citation
  • (poker, slang) Three of a kind]] in poker. In [[w:community card poker, community card games, the term is usually reserved for a situation in which a pair in a player's hand is matched by a single card on the board. Compare with trips''. Weisenberg, Michael (2000) '' The Official Dictionary of Poker. MGI/Mike Caro University. ISBN 978-1880069523
  • Synonyms
    * (close of the day) dusk, eve, evening, sundown, sunset * (general movement) direction, drift, heading, motion, movement, path, tendency, trend * (matching collection of similar things) suite * set theory * club, coterie * (scenery) scenery * (performance of several musical pieces) gig, session * (drum kit) drums, drum kit, drum set * (three of a kind) three of a kind
    Hypernyms
    * (set theory) multiset, bag
    Derived terms
    * box set * bump set * closed set * country set * crystal set * drop set * empty set * filmset * * jet set * Mandelbrot set * open set * set of pipes * set piece * set point * set theory * subset * twinset * instruction set

    Verb

  • To divide a class group in a subject according to ability
  • * 2008 , Patricia Murphy, ?Robert McCormick, Knowledge and Practice: Representations and Identities
  • *:In setted' classes, students are brought together because they are believed to be of similar 'ability'. Yet, '''setted lessons are often conducted as though students are not only similar, but ''identical —in terms of ability, preferred learning style and pace of working.
  • * 2002 , Jo Boaler, Experiencing School Mathematics: Traditional and Reform Approaches and Their Impact on Student Learning
  • *:At Amber Hill, setting was a high-profile concept, and the students were frequently reminded of the set to which they belonged.
  • References

    Statistics

    *

    on

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) (m), , see (m).

    Adjective

    (-)
  • In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
  • Performing according to schedule.
  • Are we still on for tonight?
    Is the show still on ?
  • (UK, informal) Acceptable, appropriate.
  • right on'''''; ''bang '''on'''''; ''not '''on
  • (informal) Destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed.
  • "Five bucks says the Cavs win tonight." ?"You're on !"
    Mike just threw coffee onto Paul's lap. It's on now.
  • (baseball, informal) Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter.
  • Synonyms
    * base (not informal)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • To an operating state.
  • turn the television on
  • Along, forwards (continuing an action).
  • drive on''', rock '''on
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=May 5 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool , work=BBC Sport , url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17878435 , page= , passage=He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on , with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive.}}
  • In continuation, at length.
  • and so on .
    He rambled on''' and '''on .
  • (cricket) In, or towards the half of the field on the same side as the batsman's legs; the left side for a right-handed batsman; leg.
  • (not US) Later.
  • Ten years on nothing had changed in the village.
    Antonyms
    * off * (to an operating state) off * (later) after, afterward/afterwards, later, subsequently, thence

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
  • * Longfellow
  • I stood on the bridge at midnight.
  • At or near; adjacent to.
  • Soon we'll pass a statue on the left.
    The fleet is on the American coast.
  • Covering.
  • At the date of.
  • Some time during the day of.
  • Dealing with the subject of, about, or concerning something.
  • Touching; hanging from.
  • (informal) In the possession of.
  • Because of, or due to.
  • Immediately after.
  • Paid for by.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.}}
  • Away or occupied with (e.g. a scheduled activity).
  • Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with.
  • to play on a violin or piano
    Her words made a lasting impression on my mind.
  • (senseid) Regularly taking (a drug).
  • (senseid) Under the influence of (a drug).
  • (mathematics) Having identical domain and codomain.
  • a function on V
  • (mathematics) Having V^n as domain and V'' as codomain, for some set ''V'' and integer ''n .
  • an operator on V
  • (mathematics) Generated by.
  • Supported by (the specified part of itself).
  • At a given time after the start of something; .
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 24, author=Aled Williams, work=BBC Sport
  • , title=[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/14957961.stm Chelsea 4-1 Swansea] , passage=The Spain striker had given Chelsea the lead on 29 minutes but was shown a straight red card 10 minutes later for a rash challenge on Mark Gower.}}
  • In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
  • heaps on heaps of food
    mischief on''' mischief; loss '''on loss
    (Shakespeare)
  • (obsolete) of
  • * Shakespeare
  • Be not jealous on me.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Or have we eaten on the insane root / That takes the reason prisoner?
  • Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in.
  • I depended on them for assistance.
    He will promise on certain conditions.
    Do you ever bet on horses?
  • Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
  • Have pity or compassion on him.
  • (obsolete) At the peril of, or for the safety of.
  • * Dryden
  • Hence, on thy life.
  • In the service of; connected with; of the number of.
  • He is on''' a newspaper; I am '''on the committee.
  • By virtue of; with the pledge of.
  • He affirmed or promised on''' his word, or '''on his honour.
  • To the account of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon.
  • On us be all the blame.
    A curse on him!
  • * Bible, Matthew xxvii. 25
  • His blood be on' us and ' on our children.
    Derived terms
    * depend on * on-campus * put on airs *

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (Singapore) To switch on.
  • Can you on the light?
    Synonyms
    *

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (l)

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Without.
  • Usage notes
    * Usually followed by a perfect participle, as being'', ''having , etc.

    Statistics

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