Headset

How to spell headset

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce headset

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does headset mean?

1. nounA device worn over the head combining earphones with a microphone, used for listening and speaking.

Headset in a sentence

• The call centre issued every agent a wireless headset.

• He muted the microphone on his gaming headset before answering the door.

Where does headset come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent English compound, joining 'head' with 'set', both of which are old native words. 'Head' descends from Old English 'heafod', meaning the topmost part of the body, while 'set' comes from the verb 'settan', meaning to place or position, and later named an arranged group or assembled apparatus. The two were welded together in the early twentieth century, when telephone operators and radio users needed a name for the band of equipment that 'set' over the 'head' to hold an earpiece in place. Because both halves are everyday words spelled exactly as they sound, the compound has stayed phonetic and easy. The same 'set' that names a piece of fitted equipment also gives us 'handset' and 'television set'.

How the word is built

• head (the head)
• set (a fitted apparatus)