record-setting
Meaning
Achieving a new record, especially in a sport or other competitive activity.
Structure
Usage
The athlete's record-setting performance earned her a gold medal.
The company celebrated a record-setting year for profits.
His jump was a record-setting feat that amazed the crowd.
Etymology
The adjective 'record-setting' is a modern English compound formed from three distinct elements. The first, 'record', originates from the Latin 'recordari', meaning 'to remember', which itself is built from 're-' (again) and 'cor' (heart, mind). By the 14th century, it evolved in English to denote a formal written account, and later, the best officially documented performance. The verb 'set', of Old English origin, carries the sense of placing or establishing something firmly. The suffix '-ing' transforms the verbal action into an adjectival quality. Thus, the literal logic of the morphemes combines to describe something that 'establishes a (new) official account,' perfectly capturing the modern meaning of achieving a new benchmark or highest level.
Analysis
record: From Latin 'recordari' (to remember, call to mind), via Anglo-French. In this compound, it functions as a noun meaning an official account of achievement. set: From Old English 'settan' (to cause to sit, put in place). In this compound, it functions as a verb meaning to establish or fix. ing: A suffix of Old English origin used to form adjectives from verbs or nouns, indicating 'having the quality of' or 'performing the action of'.