A place setting is one person's plate, glass and cutlery laid out. A formal place setting, twelve place settings, lay the place settings.
The rule for a formal one is to work from the outside in as courses arrive, which solves the whole puzzle of too many forks. Sold as a set, a place setting is the standard unit for buying tableware.
1nounplace settingOne person's plate, glass and cutlery laid out.
“She laid a place setting for each guest, with a name card beside every plate.”
place setting is a setting.
Practised in Restaurant & Cafe, Manners & Etiquette