subset

Etymology

It is formed from English sub- + set,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} with set in the sense of a group or collection of things.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A subordinate set, part of a set: 1881, in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.^[2][5] Etymonline dates it to 1897, originally in mathematics,^[3] Dictionary.com to 1900–05,^[6] and the Shorter Oxford to the early 20th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In mathematics the word came to mean a set all of whose elements are also elements of another set;^[2][5] Collins distinguishes a proper subset, which leaves out some members of the larger set.^[7] In general use it means any smaller part or portion of a larger group.^[5][7]

Timeline

• 1881 – a subordinate set; a set contained in another set.^[2][5]
• 1897 – in mathematics, in Etymonline's dating.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (mathematics) A set each of whose elements is also an element of a given set.^[7][5][2]
2. A smaller part or group within a larger one: Only a subset of the volunteers had first-aid training.^[7][5]

Usage notes

In Scots law subset of the same spelling is a verb meaning to sublet, from 1681, formed from sub- and the verb set, to let; a noun for an act of subletting followed in about 1722 and is now obsolete.^[2][5]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins