unset

The sun is unset over the calm ocean.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not yet set (of the sun): "unset" describes the sun that has not gone below the horizon; it is still visible in the sky.
   • Not set (a gemstone): A gemstone that has not been placed or mounted into a piece of jewelry.
   • Not set (a trap): A trap that has not been prepared or activated to catch an animal.
   • Not set (a broken bone): A broken bone that has not been put back into its correct position and immobilized with a cast or splint.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The sun was still unset when we began our evening walk. (The sun had not yet gone down.)
  • She bought a beautiful unset diamond to design her own ring. (A diamond not yet mounted in jewelry.)
  • The hunter found the trap still unset, so no animal had been caught. (The trap had not been triggered or prepared.)
  • The doctor examined the unset fracture and decided to apply a cast immediately. (The broken bone had not been properly aligned.)

Advanced Usage

• "unset" in timekeeping: Rarely used to mean a clock or timer that has not been adjusted or started.
  • The alarm was left unset, so I overslept. (The alarm was not programmed.)

Variants and Related Words

• Unset (verb): To cause something not to be set; to undo the setting of.
  • He accidentally unset the alarm when he pressed the wrong button. (He turned off or reset the alarm.)
• Unsetting (adj): That which has not been set or is in the process of not being set.
  • The unsetting sun of the Arctic summer never fully disappears. (The sun that does not fully set.)

Synonyms

• Unmounted (for gemstones): not placed in a setting.
• Unfixed (for bones): not put in place.
• Untriggered (for traps): not activated.

Related Idioms

• "The sun is unset": A poetic or formal way to say the sun has not yet gone down.
  • Under the unset sun, the fields glowed with golden light. (While the sun was still up.)

Note on Usage

"Unset" is primarily an adjective used in specific technical or descriptive contexts (astronomy, jewelry, medicine, hunting). It is not a common everyday word but is precise in these fields.