somerset

noun or intransitive verb

som·​er·​set ˈsə-mər-ˌset How to pronounce somerset (audio)
: somersault

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of somerset was in 1591

Rhymes for somerset

See All Rhymes for somerset

Browse Nearby Words

somersault
somerset
Somerset
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Somerset.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/somerset. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

somerset

1 of 2 noun
som·​er·​set
ˈsəm-ər-ˌset
: somersault entry 1

somerset

2 of 2 verb
somerseted; somerseting
: somersault entry 2

Geographical Definition

Somerset

geographical name

Som·​er·​set ˈsə-mər-ˌset How to pronounce Somerset (audio)
-sət
variants or Somersetshire
ˈsə-mər-ˌset-ˌshir How to pronounce Somerset (audio)
-sət-, 
-shər
county of southwestern England on Bristol Channel; capital Taunton area 1383 square miles (3582 square kilometers), population 530,000

More from Merriam-Webster on somerset

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about somerset

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All