Etymologically
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subset

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈsʌbˌsɛt/[1]

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