onset

Definitions

• (archaic) An attack; an assault especially of an army.
• (medicine) The initial phase of a disease or condition, in which symptoms first become apparent.
• (phonology) The initial portion of a syllable, preceding the syllable nucleus.
• (acoustics) The beginning of a musical note or other sound, in which the amplitude rises from zero to an initial peak.
• A setting about; a beginning.
• (obsolete) Anything added, such as an ornament or as a useful appendage.