ONSET
What does "ONSET" mean?
The beginning or start of something, especially something unpleasant like an illness or a storm.
Meanings
- The start or first appearance of something, often used of illness, weather, or hardship. At the onset of the fever, she knew she would not make the flight.
- An attack or assault, especially a sudden military charge. The defenders held firm against the first onset of the enemy. archaic
- In phonetics, the consonant sound or sounds that begin a syllable before its vowel. In the word 'spring', the onset is the cluster s-p-r. technical
Did you know?
- Linguists use 'onset' for the consonants that open a syllable: in 'string', the onset is the whole s-t-r cluster, everything that comes before the vowel does its work.
Word origin
A compound of 'on' and 'set', built like the verb phrase 'to set on', meaning to attack; the noun first meant an assault and broadened to any beginning.
Remember it
ONSET = 'set on' reversed in meaning - to 'set on' something is to attack it, and an onset is where the attack begins.
A little poem
First cough in the dark-
the body files a report
it cannot recall.
haiku
What it teaches
Most troubles announce themselves quietly at their onset; the cost of missing them is paid much later.
Quick facts
What does ONSET mean?
The beginning or start of something, especially something unpleasant like an illness or a storm.
Is ONSET a valid word?
Yes — ONSET is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is ONSET?
ONSET has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does ONSET come from?
A compound of 'on' and 'set', built like the verb phrase 'to set on', meaning to attack; the noun first meant an assault and broadened to any beginning.
What can ONSET teach us?
Most troubles announce themselves quietly at their onset; the cost of missing them is paid much later.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.