*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of reset

From re- + set.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

The act of resetting to the initial state. · The act of setting to zero. · A device, such as a button or switch, for resetting something. · That which is reset; printed matter set up again.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From re- + set.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "reinitialise"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "prefix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "re",
        "3": "set"
      },
      "expansion": "re- + set"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#English"
    ],
    [
      "set",
      "set#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Reset",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "リセット",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "risetto"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "word": "reset",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "word": "reset",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "word": "reset",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The act of resetting to the initial state.",
        "The act of setting to zero.",
        "A device, such as a button or switch, for resetting something.",
        "That which is reset; printed matter set up again."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "also",
        "figuratively"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To set back to the initial state. · To set to zero. · To adjust; to set or position differently.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From re- + set.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "reinitialise"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "prefix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "re",
        "3": "set"
      },
      "expansion": "re- + set"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#English"
    ],
    [
      "set",
      "set#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To set back to the initial state.",
        "To set to zero.",
        "To adjust; to set or position differently."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To receive and hide (stolen goods, or a criminal, etc.)

noun

The crime of knowingly and dishonestly receiving stolen goods, or harbouring an outlaw.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Middle Scots resett, from Early Scots reset, from Anglo-Norman recet (noun), recetter (verb), from Latin receptus (noun), receptāre (verb). Compare receipt.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "receive"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-msc",
        "3": "resett"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Middle Scots resett"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm-esc",
        "3": "reset"
      },
      "expansion": "Early Scots reset"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "recet",
        "pos": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman recet (noun)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "receptus",
        "pos": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin receptus (noun)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "resett",
      "resett#Middle_Scots"
    ],
    [
      "reset",
      "reset#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "recet",
      "recet#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "recetter",
      "recetter#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "receptus",
      "receptus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "receptāre",
      "recepto#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "receipt",
      "receipt#English"
    ]
  ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for reset →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cmVzZXQ