As a verb, it means to put something in a particular place or position, or to fix or establish something. As a noun, it can mean a group of things that belong together, or the scenery and props used in a play, movie, or TV show.
From Old English 'settan' meaning 'to cause to sit, to place', from Proto-Germanic '*satjaną', related to 'sit'. The noun senses developed from the idea of a group or placement of items.
In English, 'set' is one of the most overloaded words, with dozens of dictionary meanings—from tennis games to TV backgrounds to math groups. The common thread is surprisingly simple: putting things in place, whether they’re objects, rules, or numbers.
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