English
setness
From set + -ness.
Formed from set + -ness
Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’
…
Proto-Germanic *satjaną ‘to set’
Proto-West Germanic *sattjan ‘to set’
Old English settan ‘to set’
Middle English setten ‘to seat’
English set
first attested First attested in the 1640s (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)
The story
Not apparently continuing Old English setnes and Middle English setnesse, which are morphologically identical. First attested in the 1640s.
Today it means
noun The quality or state of being set; formality; obstinacy.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “setness”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / setness