sole
/soʊl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.29 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Only.
adj
Unmarried (especially of a woman); widowed.
adj
adj
With independent power; unfettered.
noun
The bottom or plantar surface of the foot.
noun
The bottom of a shoe or boot.
noun
Solea solea, a flatfish of the family Soleidae; a true sole.
Example Sentences
- "He saw now clearly that the sole crew of the vessel was these two dead men, and though he could not see their faces, he saw by their outstretched hands, which were all of ragged flesh, that they had been subjected to some strange exceptional process of decay."
- "The sole brilliance of this gem."
- "A sole authority."
- "The Caliga was a military Shoe, with a very thick Sole, tied above the instep with leather Thongs."
- "Hast wandred through the world now long a day;Yet ceasest not thy wearie soles to lead"
- "But the doue found no rest for the sole of her foote, and she returned vnto him into the Arke: […]"
Etymology
From Middle English sole, soule, from Old French sol, soul (“alone”), from Latin sōlus (“alone, single, solitary, lonely”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (reflexive pronoun). Perhaps related to Old Latin sollus (“whole, complete”), from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“safe, healthy”). More at save.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /soʊl/
- British English: /səʊl/
Usage
- Obsolete
- Transitive verb
- British usage