A compound of hook + set
Proto-Germanic *hōkaz
Proto-West Germanic *hōk
Old English hōc ‘hook’
Middle English hoke
English hook
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
Today it means
noun A sharp motion made with a fishing rod in order to "set" the hook firmly into the mouth of the fish that has taken the bait.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / hookset
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