Definition of "onset" []

• An onslaught; an assault. (noun)
• A beginning; a start: the onset of a cold. (noun)
• Linguistics The part of a syllable that precedes the nucleus. In the word nucleus (no͞oˈklē-əs), the onset of the first syllable is (n), the onset of the second syllable is (kl), and the last syllable has no onset. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "This is facilitated by a standardized definition of possible yellow fever cases, such as “acute fever followed by jaundice within two weeks of onset of symptoms with bleeding symptoms or with death within three weeks of onset”."
• "The delay in onset of methemoglobinemia in this case, which has been reported only to a limited extent,10 is noteworthy and suggests that a prolonged observation period may be necessary."
• "Recognizing that this could be another chronic pain onset, I wanted WCB to cover therapy for a couple of weeks."