Dictionary verb an verb *sed- setzen ansetzen

ansetzen

(an verb)

Meanings

1.
to schedule something
(Mainly for meetings. Sounds formal, so DON'T use it for casual meet ups.)
How useful:
Opposite (closest): absetzen
2.
to set, to estimate, to assume
(Set a certain amount when you don't know 100%. Think of trying to analyze a company and setting a number as estimated earnings. Sounds technical, and mostly used in finance.)
How useful:
3.
to put on weight
(Usually in combination with "weight" or "fat".)
How useful:
4.
to get ready, to be about to
("ansetzen zu" - The moment when you get ready to start doing something. Primarily used in contexts of speaking and singing and also for basical physical movements. Oh, and also for plane attempting to land.)
How useful:
5.
to prepare
(In cooking when you prepare something that then has to sit for a while. Like a broth or some herbal liquor or something. NOT for dough, though.)
How useful:
6.
to start, to apply
(In the context of having a starting point for a bigger, complex problem or task.)
How useful:

Examples

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Word Family

Root: *sed-

The core idea of this root was

sitting

Today, the majority of members of the family are about a somewhat broader sense of “putting down”.
Here’s a little (incomplete) overview:

  • to sit, seat (“sitting”)
  • saddle (“seat”)
  • to set (“putting down”)
  • settle (“sitting down for camping”)
  • soil (“where your settlement is”)
  • session (“the sitting”)
  • seance (“the sitting”)
  • siege (“sitting in front”)
  • sediment (“dust settling”)
  • possess (“sit on”)
  • obsess (“sit on, occupy”)
  • sedate, sedative (“settling”)
  • assist, assistent (Originally, a person sitting next to the judge)
  • assess (see “assist”, originally an assistant responsible for determining fines)
  • size (see “assess”)
  • cathedral (Originally, it was a scholar’s chair, the root is the “thed”- part)
  • chair (comes from cathedral)
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