onset.
The initial phase of a disease or condition, in which symptoms first become apparent.
Meaning & usage
The initial phase of a disease or condition, in which symptoms first become apparent.
the onset of schizophrenia
The initial portion of a syllable, preceding the syllable nucleus.
The beginning of a musical note or other sound, in which the amplitude rises from zero to an initial peak.
A setting about; a beginning.
the onset of puberty
Anything added, such as an ornament or as a useful appendage.
An attack; an assault especially of an army.
Where this word comes from
From on- + set. Compare Old English onsettan (“to impose; oppress, bear down”). For semantic parallels for the meaning to assault, compare cognate Russian насе́сть pf (naséstʹ), наседа́ть impf (nasedátʹ).
To assault; to set upon.
To set about; to begin.
Where this word comes from
From on- + set. Compare Old English onsettan (“to impose; oppress, bear down”). For semantic parallels for the meaning to assault, compare cognate Russian насе́сть pf (naséstʹ), наседа́ть impf (nasedátʹ).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.