Setters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals or objects that establish or determine something
2. One or more creators who lay down guidelines or parameters for other processes or actions
3. Multiple entities that impose conditions or standards for a particular outcome

Etymology: Setters are named for a posture. The English noun "setter" comes from Middle English "settere", formed from the verb "set" plus the agent suffix "-er", and the verb itself descends from Old English "settan". The hunting dogs known as setters earned their name because, on catching a scent, they stop and hold a fixed stance, which is what "set" meant in the sense of taking a position. The plural simply adds "-s" to "setter", so "setters" refers to a group of such dogs, or in the sense you asked about, a group of people or things that set or determine something. The noun meaning "one who sets" (as in a typesetter or a setter of puzzles) follows the same pattern, with the dog sense being the older, more concrete picture of the word.

Synonyms: installers, arrangers, designers, planners, organizers