I'm curious about the history and/or reason behind the nomenclature of
a television set, namely, why is it called a 'set' when there is only
one?
Thank

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Clarification of Question by bloc8888-ga on 27 Feb 2003 19:07 PST

one of Dictionary.com's definitions of 'set' is "The collective
receiving apparatus assembled to operate a radio or television" but my
one question/comment would be ... how did that come about? I would
assume that the word usage preceeded a common understanding of
meaning....
 
That is to say, somewhere along the line, the word 'set' came to mean
'an electrical appliance' (of the information-receiving variety, e.g.
telegraph, radio, TV)... So, why?

This is a fascinating question to which I have not found an answer.
"Radio set" predates "television set," but I haven't been able to find
a definitive reason for the use of "set" in these terms. Obviously, a
set is a group or collection of things, and these devices have many
parts, but beyond that, I'm stumped.

While searching for info on this, I came across a very funny
explanation:

Why is it called a TV set when you only get one? When TVs are
manufactured, they leave the assembly lines as a gelatinous fluid.
They only become usable once they have set. The term "TV set" first
came about due to customer concern in the 1940s that they were buying
TVs that had not set properly yet.

http://www.rathergood.com/guru25.html

I would imagine that a gelatinous, floppy television "unset" might
have appealed to Salvador Dali. ;-)

Maybe because early radios were often constructed from kits by
hobbyists - and were called sets by analogy with chemistry sets??? 
TVs just followed the jargon.

Totally guessing here.

Hi bioc8888-ga,

I have seen a definition of "set" as "an apparatus of electrical or
electronic components assembled so as to function as a unit".  The
problem is figuring out when this use of "set" began.  It is possible
that it goes back at least as far as "telegraph set".  However, it is
also possible that the word "set" began to be applied to telegraphs
and telephones only after radio (or wireless, crystal, etc.) sets were
introduced.

If you think that this is enough for an answer, you can post a
clarification or comment to let me know.

Thank you all for your input, gelatinous or not...

justaskscott-ga, 
one of Dictionary.com's definitions of 'set' is "The collective
receiving apparatus assembled to operate a radio or television" but my
one question/comment would be ... how did that come about? I would
assume that the word usage preceeded a common understanding of
meaning....

That is to say, somewhere along the line, the word 'set' came to mean
'an electrical appliance' (of the information-receiving variety, e.g.
telegraph, radio, TV)... So, why?

It is a tough one, I may have to take what I can get in terms of an
explanation.

I cannot explain how the word "set" became synonmous with appliance,
but as for TV's in particular this is really quite simple:

Prior to 1935 (yes, there was TV prior to 1935), televisions were
mechanical devices that were not entirely electronic. The device was
made up of a "set" of specific items, namely a small motor, a spinning
disk and a neon light. Without any of these, (ie, the set was
incomplete) the device would not work. The term "mechanical
television" eventually gave way to the term "television set" to
describe all types of TV's, though other less popular and shorter
lived names such as "Televisor" and "Shadowgraph" were used briefly to
refer to certain models.

There you have it.

tutuzdad-ga

Having read the posts here of some of the finest researchers in GA, I
know that if they can't find it, then it's likely that I won't unless
I have a special reference for that. I'll just share my opinion on
this one.

Perhaps it is called a set because a television is made up a
collection of different technologies. For example, the sound is
borrowed from radio technology, the pictures from imaging technology,
the circuitry from electronics technology, etc. If we go deeper to
each components, we can find out more. It only appears to be one unit.
Early television were also made to blend with a typical living room
set.

Note that we also say "computer set" or "computer system". A system is
synonymous to the word "set" in this case and can be defined as a
group or set of related or associated material or immaterial things
forming a unity or complex whole. We all know that computers is
composed of and utilize various technologies. This could also be a
reason why a toaster is just a toaster -- well, you know what I mean.
;-)

- Feilong

Random notes after going through the OED:

A telephone "handset" is "a telephone transmitter and receiver
combined in a single instrument."  An example of that usage in 1914:
"The telephone instrument follows the general form which is so popular
on the Continent, making large use of the combined transmitter and
receiver, sometimes known as the hand microphone set."

With regard to the "set" definition you referred to ("A piece of
electrical or electronic apparatus, as a telephone, a telegraph
receiver or transmitter, a radio or television receiver, etc." -OED), 
here are some examples of it in use (in the format of
Year/Source/Reference Sentence):

1891 Man. Instruct. Army Telegr. Field Telegraphs Plate II (caption)
"Two single current sets."
1898 Electrician 4 Mar. 625/2 "A diminutive telephone set..is now
being put on the market."
1903 Science Siftings XXV. 49/1 "The instruments of the portable
military out~fits are similar to those of the permanent station sets.
"
1915 A. FAGE Aeroplane iv. 42 "A wireless set driven by a motor-cycle
engine is mounted in front of the passenger's seat."
1923 Radio Broadcast Jan. 181/2 "Drug stores, music stores, cigar
stores, even men's furnishing stores have radio sets for sale."
1931 B. BROWNE Talking Pictures vi. 146 "Wherever one looked there
seemed space and wide, flat walls. One of the larger-sized sets should
have been required to fill such an amount of enclosing surfaces."
 1936 W. H. S. SMITH Let. 13 Dec. in Young Man's Country (1977) ii 46,
"I dropped in on Stansbury..to hear his wireless which is a very good
set."
1948 J. L. HORNUNG Radar Primer v. 123 "The electrical features of
radar sets for use in airplanes are similar to those of sets used on
ships."
1955 Radio Times 22 Apr. 30/1 (Advt.), "Here is a..table radiogram...
Fine sets these Ferguson's."
1961 L. MUMFORD City in Hist. xvi. 496 "Reality has been progressively
reduced to what filters through the screen of the television set."


So it seems originally an item was called a set because it did do two
things (i.e. receiving and transmitting) but over time any "electronic
apparatus" started being referred to as a set.

Hope this helps a little.

I'm 99% sure xarqi-ga is correct, ie.early radios and television were
constructed from sets of components (ie.kits)  I found a posting on a
newsgroup yesterday that confirmed this, but even though it sounded
authoritative I didn't post it as an answer as I couldn't confirm that
was the definitive answer.
Hmm..... let's see what happens

Yeah - the "crystal set".
You'd get a "crystal" - some sort of diode - maybe just a hunk of
galena crystal, a spool of wire for an antenna, an earphone, and
either you'd wind a coil out of the antenna wire for tuning, or in the
really expensive SETS, you'd get a - wait for it - variable
capacitor!!!

Hook 'em up and off you go - technology for everyone - voices plucked
from the ether for just a few schillings!

as xarqi said the origins are in the "crystal set" where u'd slap
together a germanium diode , a tuning coil  and a earphone and get a
radio set .I don't know the definative answer. But if uve ever
assembled one. there is simlply nothing else u can call it  :)
(crystal set I mean )Maybe some Company like heath kit called it a
crystal set the first time. but it was a set u needed by all counts.

This is from: http://www.arcsandsparks.com/aboutcrystalradios.html
"A perfectly workable crystal radio detector could be constructed from
a five-cent piece of galena crystal and the wire from a safety pin,
and homemade crystal sets brought endless hours of listening enjoyment
to children of the Great Depression.  After this detector was
connected to iron bedsprings (which doubled as an antenna) and
grounded to household cold-water pipes, a youngster needed only
inexpensive headphones to bring in the world of radio--all the power
needed to run the crystal set came from the "air." Later, GIs of World
War II constructed similar radios from rusty razor blades and pencil
lead, the iron oxide crystals of the rust replacing the galena crystal
and the graphite of the pencil lead substituting for the safety-pin
"wire."  These crystal radios were known as foxhole radios."

Apparently the word 'set' has more meanings than any other word in the
English language  - can anyone confirm this?

I suspect that "point" has more meanings than "set".