seta

American  

[see-tuh] / ˈsi tə /

noun

Biology.

plural

setae

1. a stiff hair; bristle or bristlelike part.

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seta British  

/ sɪˈteɪʃəs, ˈsiːtə /

noun

1. (in invertebrates and some plants) any bristle or bristle-like appendage

2. (in mosses) the stalk of the sporophyte that bears the capsule

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seta Scientific  

/ sē′tə /

plural

setae

1. A stiff hair, bristle, or bristlelike process or part on an organism. Setae on the bodies of spiders are used as sensory organs, while setae on the bodies of many polychaete worms, such as earthworms, are used for locomotion. Microscopic setae on the feet of geckos allow adhesion to vertical surfaces.

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Other Word Forms

• setaceous adjective
• setaceously adverb
• setal adjective

Etymology

Origin of seta

First recorded in 1785–95, seta is from the Latin word sēta, saeta “bristle”

Example Sentences

Geckos’ toes are covered with hundreds of thousands of tiny hairs known as setae, with each seta, in turn, branching into hundreds of tiny, flat, triangular tips called spatulae.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

I knew that the word for underpants is mutande, but seta, meaning "silk", was not then in my vocabulary.

From The Guardian • Jan. 9, 2011

There is great variety in the length of the seta, which is sometimes practically absent.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

The seta is short, the capsule being usually raised upon the archegoniophore.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

The plant bears three mature sporogonia which show the elongation of the seta.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various