setting

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set·ting / ˈseting/ • n. 1. the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place: cozy waterfront cottage in a peaceful country setting. ∎  the place and time at which a play, novel, or film is represented as happening: short stories with a contemporary setting. ∎  a piece of metal in which a precious stone or gem is fixed to form a piece of jewelry. ∎  a piece of vocal or choral music composed for particular words: a setting of Yevtushenko's bleak poem. ∎ short for place setting. 2. a speed, height, or temperature at which a machine or device can be adjusted to operate: if you find the room getting too hot, check the thermostat setting.

setting The moment at which a celestial body disappears below an observer's horizon. For bodies with an observable disk, particularly the Sun and Moon, setting is taken as the moment when their upper limb lies exactly on the observer's horizon. Refraction in the Earth's atmosphere means that an object appears to set later than it actually does, and this effect must be taken into account when calculating observed rising and setting times.

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