The word "inset" can mean both a noun and a verb:

• As a noun, inset refers to a small map, picture, or piece of material that is placed inside or shown on a larger one to provide more detail or decoration. For example, a small map set inside a larger map, or a piece of cloth added to a garment for decoration, is called an inset.
• As a verb, to inset means to put something into something larger, often for decoration, such as insetting a map within a larger map or inset jewels into a ring.
• As an adjective, it can describe something positioned within or set inside something else, like an "inset map" or "inset glass top".

Additionally, in specific contexts like education, "inset day" means a day when students do not attend school, but teachers attend training.

In digital design, "inset" can also refer to a CSS property defining offsets inside an element's box.

In general usage, it conveys the idea of placing or setting something inside or within something else, either physically or visually.