onset

English

Etymology

From on- +‎ set. Compare Old English onsettan (“to impose; oppress, bear down”).

Pronunciation

• (?) X-SAMPA: /Qn"sEt/
• (?) IPA: /ˈɔnˌsɛt/

Noun

onset (plural onsets)

1. A rushing or setting upon; an attack; an assault; a storming; especially, the assault of an army.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare,

     The onset and retire Of both your armies.

   • (Can we date this quote?) William Wordsworth,

     Who on that day the word of onset gave.

2. (medicine) The initial phase of a disease or condition, in which symptoms first become apparent.
3. (phonology) The initial portion of a syllable, preceding the syllable nucleus.
4. (acoustics) The beginning of a musical note or other sound, in which the amplitude rises from zero to an initial peak.
5. (obsolete) A setting about; a beginning.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Francis Bacon,

     There is surely no greater wisdom than well to time the beginnings and onsets of things.

6. (obsolete) Anything set on, or added, as an ornament or as a useful appendage.

Translations

rushing or setting upon

• Finnish: hyökkäys (fi)
• Portuguese: investida (pt) f
• Russian: атака (ru) (atáka) f, наступление (ru) (nastuplénije) n, натиск (ru) (nátisk) m

• Spanish: comienza (es)

medicine: initial phase of a disease or condition

• Finnish: puhkeaminen (fi)

• French: onset (fr) m pl and f pl

phonology: initial portion of a syllable

• Finnish: aluke (fi)
• French: attaque (fr)

• Portuguese: ataque (pt) m

acoustics: beginning of a musical note

• Finnish: aluke (fi)

Verb

onset (third-person singular simple present onsets, present participle onsetting, simple past and past participle onset)

1. (obsolete) To assault; to set upon.
2. (obsolete) To set about; to begin.

Anagrams

• notes, set on, seton, SONET, steno, stone, tones