Onset

How to spell onset

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce onset

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does onset mean?

1. nounThe beginning or start of something, especially something unwelcome or sudden.

Onset in a sentence

• The onset of winter brought freezing fog to the valley.

• Early treatment can slow the onset of the disease.

Where does onset come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Onset is a native English compound, built quite transparently from 'on' and 'set', both of which come from Old English roots: 'on' from the preposition an (meaning on or upon) and 'set' from settan (to place or put). The word appears from the late 1500s, originally carrying a vigorous, physical sense: an 'onset' was an assault or the moment of charging on an enemy in battle. From that military beginning, the meaning broadened to cover the start of any process, particularly one that arrives forcefully, such as the onset of a storm, an illness, or winter. Because both halves are everyday English words joined without doubling or dropping a letter, the spelling stays simple and regular. The older fighting sense survives only in historical writing, while the modern sense of 'the beginning' is now by far the most common.

How the word is built

• on (prefix from Old English an: on, upon)
• set (root from settan: to place, to put)