Onset
/ˈɒn.sɛt/noun
The beginning or start of something, especially something unpleasant.
Did you know?Onset is a native English formation from *on* + *set*, originally meaning to attack or begin abruptly, and it still carries that old sense of something being set upon you.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
onsettan
“to set upon, attack, assail”
Middle English
ME
onset
“an attack; a beginning or assault”
16th Century
English
onset
“a sudden attack or beginning”
Modern English
English
onset
“the start or beginning of something, especially a disease or difficult period”