catflap.org Online Dictionary Query

  Seta \Se"ta\ (s[=e]"t[.a]), n.; pl. Set[ae] (s[=e]"t[=e]). [L.
     seta, saeta, a bristle.]
     1. (Biol.) Any slender, more or less rigid, bristlelike organ
        or part; as the hairs of a caterpillar, the slender spines
        of a crustacean, the hairlike processes of a protozoan,
        the bristles or stiff hairs on the leaves of some plants,
        or the pedicel of the capsule of a moss.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zo["o]l.)
        (a) One of the movable chitinous spines or hooks of an
            annelid. They usually arise in clusters from muscular
            capsules, and are used in locomotion and for defense.
            They are very diverse in form.
        (b) One of the spinelike feathers at the base of the bill
            of certain birds.
            [1913 Webster]