Where does “set dressing” come from?
set dressing (English) comes from English dressing, from Middle English dressynge, from Middle English dressen, from Old French drecier, from Vulgar Latin directiare, from Latin dīrectus, from Latin dīrigō, from Latin dis- — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
set dressing (English): The process of furnishing and decorating a film, TV, or theatre set with all the items that aren't held or used by actors to create a realistic, lived-in environment, and convey character, time period, mood, and story details; distinct from props (items used by actors)
Definitions
- The process of furnishing and decorating a film, TV, or theatre set with all the items that aren't held or used by actors to create a realistic, lived-in environment, and convey character, time period, mood, and story details; distinct from props (items used by actors)
Ancestry of “set dressing”, step by step
set dressing traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dressing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dressing | Material applied to a wound for protection or... |
| 2 | Middle English | dressynge | control, dominion |
| 3 | Middle English | dressen | To direct or aim oneself |
| 4 | Old French | drecier | to stand up; to get on one's feet |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | directiare | — |
| 6 | Latin | dīrectus | laid straight, arranged in lines, having been arranged in lines |
| 7 | Latin | dīrigō | to lay straight; arrange in lines (especially in military contexts) |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English seṭ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | seṭ | of a root, having a final "i" sound in certain... |
| 2 | English | sept | A clan, tribe, or family, proceeding from a... |
| 3 | English | sect | An offshoot of a larger religion; a group sharing... |
| 4 | Middle English | secte | A variety or sort; a category with a... |
| 5 | Old French | secte | a sect in philosophy or religion |
| 6 | Late Latin | secta | a sect in philosophy or religion, a school,... |
| 7 | Latin | sequi | present active infinitive of sequor; follow, come... |
| 8 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |