SETI

¹ American  

1. search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

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seti- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “bristle”; used in the formation of compound words.

   setiform.

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SETI British  

/ ˈsɛtɪ /

acronym

1. Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence; the attempt to detect signals, esp radiowaves or light, from an intelligent extraterrestrial source

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SETI Cultural  

1. A program devoted to the search for signals from other parts of the galaxy that would indicate the presence of advanced technological civilizations. Over the years, it has sometimes been funded by NASA, sometimes by private organizations.

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Discover More

SETI involves scanning radio waves for signals, but it has found none to date.

Etymology

Origin of SETI¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Origin of seti-²

< Latin sēti-, saeti-; seta, -i-

Example Sentences

"Results like these help not just pulsar science, but other fields of astronomy as well, including SETI."

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, received a huge gain last week: a gift of $200 million from the estate of Franklin Antonio, co-founder of Qualcomm, which makes semiconductors and software supporting wireless technology.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 15, 2023

The Dawoods live in the UK, according to SETI.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2023

SETI, the California-based research institute of which he is a trustee, said on its website that Dawood lives in Britain with his wife and two children.

From Reuters • Jun. 20, 2023

Daniela de Paulis is an artist who’s working with scientists at SETI.

From NewsForKids.net • May 31, 2023