setter

See also: Setter

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛt.ə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /ˈset.ə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛt.ɚ/, [-ɾɚ]
• Rhymes: -ɛtə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: set‧ter

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sed-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti

Proto-Germanic *satjaną

Proto-West Germanic *sattjan

Old English settan

Middle English setten

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

Middle English settere

English setter

From Middle English settere, equivalent to set +‎ -er. Compare West Frisian setter, Dutch zetter, German Low German Setter, German Setzer.

The hunting dogs are so named because when they scent the game, they set (that is, strike a certain stance).

Noun

setter (plural setters)

1. A typesetter.

   Synonym: compositor

   Any query to the setter is required to be addressed as such (e.g., "Setter: Please check"); otherwise it will be treated as a query to the author.

2. One who sets something, such as a challenge or an examination.

   The exam was so hard we assumed the question setter must have been in a bad mood.

   The setter of this crossword has been known to throw us all for a loop occasionally.

   • 2000, Rita Wicks-Nelson, Allen C. Israel, Behavior Disorders of Childhood, page 188:

     In this sample, twenty of the twenty-seven fire setters received a primary or secondary diagnosis of conduct disorder, compared with only eleven of twenty-seven nonsetters.

   • 2013 November 26, John Plunkett, “Rev John Graham, aka crossword setter Araucaria, dies aged 92”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 October 2026:

     One of the most admired and best-known crossword setters in the English language, Graham was known for his idiosyncratic style and extended anagrams.

3. Any of several long-haired breeds of hunting dog that set when they have scented game.

   Hyponym: Irish setter

   Coordinate terms: pointer, retriever

   She has a spaniel and a red setter.

   • 1931, Francis Beeding, “7/2”, in The Norwich Victims‎^[3]:

     The two Gordon setters came obediently to heel. Sir Oswald Feiling winced as he turned to go home. He had felt a warning twinge of lumbago.

4. (volleyball) The player who is responsible for setting, or passing, the ball to teammates for an attack.
5. (object-oriented programming) A function used to modify the value of some property of an object, contrasted with the getter.

   Synonym: mutator

   Coordinate term: getter

6. (sports, in combinations) A game or match that lasts a certain number of sets.
   • 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[4], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 November 2016:

     It was desperately close until all but the closing moments, and for that we had the 32nd-ranked [Julien] Benneteau to thank for bringing the fight out in [Roger] Federer, whose thirst for these long battles has waned over the past couple of years. For a player regarded by many as the greatest of all time his record in completed five-setters is ordinary: now 20 wins, 16 losses.

7. One who hunts victims for sharpers.
   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     O, 'tis our setter. I know his voice

8. One who adapts words to music in composition.
9. A shallow seggar for porcelain.
10. (UK, slang, obsolete) A shill bidder at an auction.

Derived terms

• bonesetter
• English setter
• felon-setter
• filmsetter
• firesetter
• form setter
• gemsetter
• Gordon setter
• imagesetter
• Irish red and white setter
• Irish setter
• jet-setter
• Laverack setter
• Llewellin setter
• moodsetter
• nonsetter
• nutsetter
• onsetter
• pacesetter
• photosetter
• pinsetter
• red setter
• route setter
• scenesetter
• setterlike
• setter-up
• setterwort
• tasksetter
• toolsetter
• trendsetter

Related terms

• seater
• sitter

Descendants

• → Czech: setr
• → Danish: setter
• → Finnish: setteri
• → French: setter
• → German: Setter
• → Italian: setter
• → Russian: сеттер (setter)
• → Swedish: setter

Translations

one who sets something

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: asettaja (fi), asettelija
• German: Setzer (de) m, Setzerin (de) f
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: dizgici (tr), ihbarcı (tr)

breed of dog

• Bulgarian: сетер m (seter)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雪達犬 / 雪达犬 (xuědáquǎn), 賽特犬 / 赛特犬 (sàitèquǎn), 塞特犬 (sāitèquǎn)

• Finnish: setteri (fi)
• French: setter (fr) m
• German: Setter m, Vorstehhund m, Vorstehhündin f
• Japanese: セッター (ja) (settā)
• Korean: 세터 (seteo)
• Lithuanian: seteris m
• Polish: seter (pl) m
• Russian: сеттер (ru) (setter)
• Scottish Gaelic: cù-eunaich m
• Turkish: seter (tr)
• Welsh: adargi m

volleyball player

• Bulgarian: разпределител m (razpredelitel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 二傳 / 二传 (zh) (èrchuán), 舉球員 / 举球员

• Czech: nahrávač m, nahrávačka f
• Finnish: syöttäjä (fi)
• German: Steller (de) m, Stellerin f, Passeur m, Zuspieler m, Zuspielerin f
• Greek: πασαδόρος (el) m or f (pasadóros)
• Italian: palleggiatore (it) m, palleggiatrice f
• Japanese: セッター (ja) (settā)
• Korean: 세터 (seteo)
• Latvian: cēlājs m
• Portuguese: levantador m
• Romansh: giugader da pass m
• Russian: пасующий (ru) m (pasujuščij), связующий (ru) m (svjazujuščij)
• Slovak: nahrávač m, nahrávačka f
• Swedish: passare (sv) c
• Turkish: oyun kurucu (tr)

function to set data

• French: mutateur (fr) m, setter (fr) m

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “setter”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

setter (third-person singular simple present setters, present participle settering, simple past and past participle settered)

1. (UK, dialect, transitive) To cut the dewlap (of a cow or ox), and insert a seton, so as to cause an issue.

References

• “setter”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Street, Tester, Teters, retest, street, tester

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English setter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛ.tɛʁ/ ~ /se.tɛʁ/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

setter m (plural setters)

1. setter (dog)

Derived terms

• setter irlandais

Further reading

• “setter”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English setter.

Noun

setter m (invariable)

1. setter (dog)

Further reading

• “setter”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ˈsɛtː.ər/, [ˈsɛ̂tː.əɾ] (native agent noun and forms of sette)
• IPA^(key): /¹ˈsɛtː.ər/, [ˈsɛ̀tː.əɾ] (dog noun)
• Rhymes: -ɛtːər
• Hyphenation: set‧ter

Etymology 1

From sette (“to set, put, place”) +‎ -er (“agent noun suffix”). The printing sense is modelled on German Setzer (“typesetter”).

Noun

setter m (definite singular setteren, indefinite plural settere, definite plural setterne)

1. a person or device that sets, places, or plants something
   1. a person or machine that plants potatoes or other planting material
      • 1937, Magnhild Haalke, Dagblinket, pages 52–53:

        lysgroren var så lang at den datt av mellem hendene på setterne, da det endelig bar i vei

        The sprout was so long that it fell off between the planters' hands when the work finally got under way.

   2. a person who sets fishing gear, especially a line or net, in the water
      • 1936, Morgenposten, number 60, page 1, column 7:

        en flink setter

        a skilled setter

2. (printing) a typesetter or typographer; a person who composes type in preparation for printing

   Synonym: typograf

   • 1848, Conrad N. Schwach, Erindringer af mit Liv indtil Ankomsten til Throndhjem, page 1:

     min faders fader … skal have været en duelig sætter

     my father's father … is said to have been a capable typesetter

   • 1882, Henrik Ibsen, En folkefiende [An Enemy of the People], page 87:

     inde i trykkeriet ses et par sættere i arbejde

     Inside the printing office, a couple of typesetters can be seen at work.

   • 1955, Jens Bjørneboe, Jonas, page 206:

     [tyskeren] kunne nu sette en tekst uten flere trykkfeil enn de svenske setterne

     [The German] could now typeset a text with no more printing errors than the Swedish typesetters.

   • 2004, Martin Nag, Rudolf Nilsen – norsk arbeiderklasses geni – og yndling, page 45:

     setterne [hadde] for lite stoff å arbeide med, og vi plasserte en stor klisjé over nesten halve forsiden, – en tegning av en arbeider som river seg løs av lenkene

     The typesetters had too little material to work with, and we placed a large printing block over almost half the front page—a drawing of a worker breaking free from his chains.

   1. (printing) a machine that composes type in preparation for printing

Derived terms

• fotosetter (“phototypesetter”)
• garnsetter (“person who sets fishing nets”)
• lyssetter (“lighting technician”)
• løypesetter (“alpine course setter”)
• maskinsetter (“machine typesetter”)
• setterkasse (“type case”)
• (obsolete) setterske (“female typesetter”)
• steinsetter (“stone paver”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English setter (“long-haired pointing dog”), from set (“to indicate game by taking a fixed stance”). The dogs are so named because they stop and assume a characteristic stance when they scent game.

Noun

setter m (definite singular setteren, indefinite plural settere, definite plural setterne)

An Irish setter

1. any of three long-haired breeds of gun dog of British or Irish origin
   • 1971, Johan Borgen, Mitt hundeliv, page 15:

     fotos av egne hunder, alt fra settere til rottweilere, vorsteh og pudler

     photographs of my own dogs, everything from setters to Rottweilers, German pointers, and poodles

   engelsk setter — English setter, a British breed with a white coat marked with black, yellow, or brown spots

   • 2008, Jo Nesbø, Hodejegerne [Headhunters]:

     en nabo på aftentur med sin engelske setter

     a neighbour out for an evening walk with his English setter

   irsk setter — Irish setter, an Irish breed with a chestnut-coloured coat

Derived terms

• gordonsetter (“Gordon setter”)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

setter m pl

1. (hunting) indefinite plural of sette (“female hare”)

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

setter m pl

1. (dialectal) indefinite plural of sette (“group of grain sheaves”)

Etymology 5

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

setter

1. present of sette (“to set, put, place; cause, establish; suppose; move suddenly”)

Anagrams

• rettes, tester

References

• “setter” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “setter” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sed-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti

Proto-Germanic *satjaną

Proto-West Germanic *sattjan

Old English settan

Middle English setten

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

Middle English settere

English setterbor.

French setterbor.

▲

English setterbor.

Romanian setter

Borrowed from French setter or English setter.

Noun

setter m (plural setteri)

1. setter (dog)

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	setter	setterul	setteri	setterii
genitive-dative	setter	setterului	setteri	setterilor
vocative	setterule		setterilor

Further reading

• “setter”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026

Swedish

Noun

setter c

1. setter (dog)

Declension

Declension of setter

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	setter	setters
	definite	settern	setterns
plural	indefinite	settrar	settrars
	definite	settrarna	settrarnas

References

• “setter”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “setter”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “setter”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)