seta

American  

[see-tuh] / ˈsi tə /

noun

Biology.

• setae
  plural

1. a stiff hair; bristle or bristlelike part.

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seta British  

/ 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 /

• setae
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• setaceous
  adjective
• setal
  adjective
• setaceously
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• setae
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of seta

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seta setae

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

Tomopteris is remarkable for the fact that the hammer-shaped prostomium has paired ventral processes each with a single seta.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various

Setula: a small stiff bristle or seta: in Diptera, the small thorn at the end of the subcosta.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John. B. Smith

The sporogonium has a small foot and practically no seta, and differs in the development and structure of its capsule from all other mosses.

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

The caterpillars’ setae may be sensitive to all three, Casas says, making it tough to tell how important the ability to detect the electric field may be for protection.

From Science Magazine ● May 20, 2024

The researchers also found that the caterpillars’ setae responded most dramatically when the electric field oscillated at a rate comparable to the beating of a wasp’s wings.

From Science Magazine ● May 20, 2024

That observation suggests the setae have evolved to detect a wasp’s particular electrostatic signature.

From Science Magazine ● May 20, 2024

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

Other Sense-Organs.—As in Arthropoda, the hairs or setae on the surface of the body are important organs of sense and are variously modified for special sensory functions.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

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