so

so

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Somali.

From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Low German so (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so, Swedish så ("so, such that"), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).

• (UK) enPR: sō, IPA^(key): /səʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /soʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: seau, sew, soe, soh, soy (some non-standard dialects); sow (sense 2)
• Rhymes: -əʊ

so

1. Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that.

   I got an earlier train to work so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the meeting.

   Eat your broccoli so you can have dessert.

2. With the result that; for that reason; therefore.

   I was hungry, so I asked if there was any more food.

   He ate too much cake, so he fell ill.

   He wanted a book, so he went to the library.

   “I need to go to the bathroom.” ― “So go!”

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ […].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.

3. (informal) Used as a sentence-starting filler or introductory word with no particular meaning.

   “Where were you born?” ― “So I was born in London.”

4. Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question.

   So how does this story end?

5. Used to introduce a rhetorical question.

   “We'd like to visit but I don't know if we can afford a hotel.” — “So who's staying in a hotel? Stay with us.”

6. (archaic) Provided that; on condition that; as long as.
   • c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     Speed. ‘Item: She doth talk in her sleep.’
     Launce. It’s no matter for that, so she sleep not in her talk.

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 18, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     As we cal money not onely that which is true and good, but also the false; so it be currant.

   • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 35:

     […] though all the windes of doctrin were let loose play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously by licencing and prohibiting to misdoubt her strength.

   • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar‎, London, page 111:

     I went away very well satisfy’d, not caring where I was sent, so it was but out of his Sight; for he now became more my Aversion than ever.

Chiefly in North American use, a comma or pause is often used before the conjunction when used in the sense with the result that. (A similar meaning can often be achieved by using a semicolon or colon (without the so), as for example: He drank the poison; he died.)

The apparently meaningless use of "so" to begin sentences, such as replies to questions, where there is no relevant sense of "in order that" or "for that reason", has become increasingly common over the early part of the 21st century, and has been widely described as irritating. .

• (in order that): so that, that

so (not comparable)

1. To the (explicitly stated) extent that.

   It was so hot outside that all the plants died.

   He was so good, they hired him on the spot.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ […].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.

   • 2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.

2. To the (implied) extent.

   I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]

   There are only so many hours in a day.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.

3. Very (positive or negative clause).

   I feel so much better now.

   I so nearly lost my temper.

   It’s not so bad. [i.e. it's acceptable]

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.

4. Very much.

   But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

     Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust.

   • 1989, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5, Archie Comics:

     I so wanted to be Jess Harley again.

   • 2003 April 16, Michael Stokes, “I, Dude”, in Totally Spies!, season 2, episode 9, spoken by Clover (Andrea Taylor), Marathon Media, via Teletoon:

     Yeah! Not eating is so 90’s!

   1. (informal) at all (negative clause).

      That is so not true!

5. In a particular manner.

   Place the napkin on the table just so. If that's what you mean, then say so; (or do so).

   • 1963, Mike Hawker, Ivor Raymonde (music and lyrics), Dusty Springfield (vocalist), I Only Want to Be with You (single),

     Don′t know what it is that makes me love you so, / I only know I never want to let you go.

6. In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also.

   Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine.  Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so.  "I can count backwards from one hundred." "So can I."

   ‘There're another two.’ ‘So there are.’

   He wants to eat now. So does she.

   • 1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC:

     "Good morrow to thee, jolly fellow," quoth Robin, "thou seemest happy this merry morn." ¶ "Ay, that am I," quoth the jolly Butcher, "and why should I not be so? Am I not hale in wind and limb? Have I not the bonniest lass in all Nottinghamshire? And lastly, am I not to be married to her on Thursday next in sweet Locksley Town?"

   • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 192:

     The work thus done has probably been of the greatest value to the human race; but, just as in other cases it has sometimes happened that the effort to do a certain work has resulted in the end in an unbalanced exaggeration so here.

   • 2012 May 19, Paul Fletcher, “Blackpool 1-2 West Ham”, in BBC Sport:

     It was a goal that meant West Ham won on their first appearance at Wembley in 31 years, in doing so becoming the first team since Leicester in 1996 to bounce straight back to the Premier League through the play-offs.

   • 2019, Amanda Koci, Henry Walter, Charlie Puth, Maria Smith, Victor Thellm, Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckle (lyrics and music), “So Am I”, performed by Ava Max:

     it's okay to be different
     'Cause baby, so am I

7. (with as): To such an extent or degree; as.

   so far as;  so long as;  so much as

• Use of so in the sense to the implied extent is discouraged in formal writing; spoken intonation which might render the usage clearer is not usually apparent to the reader, who might reasonably expect the extent to be made explicit. For example, the reader may expect He is so good to be followed by an explanation or consequence of how good he is. Devices such as use of underscoring and the exclamation mark may be used as a means of clarifying that the implicit usage is intended; capitalising SO is also used. The derivative subsenses very and very much are similarly more apparent with spoken exaggerated intonation.

• The difference between so and very in implied-extent usage is that very is more descriptive or matter-of-fact, while so indicates more emotional involvement. For example, she is very clever is a simple statement of opinion; she is so clever suggests admiration. Likewise, that is very typical is a simple statement; that is SO typical of him! is an indictment. A formal (and reserved) apology may be expressed I am very sorry, but after elbowing someone in the nose during a basketball game, a man might say, Dude, I am so sorry! in order to ensure that it's understood as an accident.[1]

• (very): really, truly, that, very
• (to a particular extent): that, this, yea
• (in a particular manner): like this, thus
• (slang: very much): really, truly, very much

so (comparative more so, superlative most so)

1. As what was or will be mentioned.

   That is so.

   You are responsible for this, is that not so?

   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     “My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. ¶ Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. ¶ “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”

   • 2008, Leslie T. Chang, Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China‎, New York: Spiegel & Grau, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 73:

     The details of her own life crowded out everything else; almost every time I saw Min, she had something new to tell me. It sometimes felt as if the laws of the physical world did not apply to her, that she had only to think of something — a job switch, a breakup — to make it so. If I didn’t see her for a while, she might forget to tell me that she had quit a factory or gotten a raise, because in her mind she had already moved on.

2. In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase.
   • 1823, Andrew Reed, Martha:

     If this separation was painful to all parties, it was most so to Martha.

   • 1872, Charles Dickens, “The Personal History of David Copperfield”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     But if I had been more fit to be married, I might have made you more so too.

   • 1947, Liberty Hyde Bailey, The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture:

     It must be understood that while the nelumbiums are hardy, they are so only as long as the tubers are out of the reach of frost.

3. (dated, UK, slang) Homosexual.

   Is he so?

• (true): correct, right, true
• (euphemistic: homosexual): musical, one of the family, one of them, that way inclined

• make it so
• more so

so

1. Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story, or a new thought or question in continuation of an existing topic.

   Synonyms: look, well, see, hey

   So, let's go home.

   So, what'll you have?

   So, there was this squirrel stuck in the chimney...

   So, everyone wants to know – did you win the contest or not?

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter XI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. 'Twas a dismal sort of place, with hair wreaths, and wax fruit, and tin lambrekins, and land knows what all.

2. Used as a question to ask for further explanation of something said, often rhetorically or in a dismissive or impolite manner.

   "You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?"

3. Used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response to a question.

   What are you doing? / So I'm just fixing this shelf.

   What time does the train leave? / So it leaves at 10 o'clock.

4. (archaic) Be as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors.

Though certain uses of "sentence-initial so" had been common for a long time, the perceived excessive use of the word at the start of sentences, such as at the start of answers to questions, became controversial in the 2010s, being described as "annoying".[1][2]

so

1. Abbreviation of someone.

• sb (“somebody”)

Shortened from sol, to make it an open syllable for uniformity with the rest of the scale.

so (plural sos)

1. (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.

Borrowed from Japanese 蘇 (so).

so (uncountable)

1. (foods) A type of dairy product, made especially in Japan between the seventh and 10th centuries, by reducing milk by boiling it.

• So (dairy product) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Another photo of so at Wikicommons

• “so”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “so”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

• ah so

• -os, -os-, O&S, O's, O. S., O.S., OS, OS., Os, o's, o.s., os, os-

• soe (Western Cape)

From Dutch zo, from Middle Dutch sô, from Old Dutch sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from a merger of Proto-Germanic *swa and *swē.

• IPA^(key): /sʊə̯/

so

1. so, like that/this, thus (in such a way)
2. so, that, to such an extent

• sodat

so

1. To stand (to be in a standing position).

• Ross, M. & Næss, Å. (2007) “An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands?”, in Oceanic Linguistics, volume 46, number 2. Cited in: "Äiwoo" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

From Latin sub.

so

1. under

• sol

From Latin suus (“his, her, its”).

so m sg (feminine singular so, neuter singular so, masculine plural sos, feminine plural sos)

1. his, her, its
2. your (polite)
3. their

so

1. his, hers
2. yours (polite)

• suyu

• soi

so

1. first-person singular present indicative of ser

so (tone sǒ)

1. horse

so

1. house, home

• IPA^(key): /s̺o/ [s̺o]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: so

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

so (not comparable)

1. (chiefly Northern) [+dative, allative] looking at

so inan

1. (chiefly Northern) look, gaze

so

1. whoa

   Synonyms: iso, esti

• "so" in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], euskaltzaindia.eus
• “so” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], euskaltzaindia.eus

so

1. he

Inherited from Old Catalan so~son, from Latin sonus. Compare Occitan son, French son, Spanish sueno.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈsɔ]

so m (plural sons)

1. sound

• sonar
• sònic

Back-formation from sons (plural). Compare Spanish sueño, Portuguese sono, from Latin somnus.

• son (standard)

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈsɔ]

so m (plural sons)

1. (Tarragon, Mallorca, Menorca) sleep

• sonar
• sònic

• só (pre-2016 spelling)

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈso]

so (archaic, Central, Northwest Catalan, Alghero)

1. first-person singular present indicative of ésser
2. first-person singular present indicative of ser

• This form is still used in certain dialects, such as Algherese.

• s' (after amb or sometimes en, before a vowel)
• es (not after amb or sometimes en)

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/, /ˈsu/

so

1. (Mallorca, Ibiza) Alternative form of es (“the”, masculine singular) (used after amb (“with”) and sometimes en (“in”), before a consonant)

   Va anar-hi amb so cotxe. ― He went there with the car.

• “so” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “so”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “so” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “so” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

From clipping of English jetso, from Cantonese 著數／着数 (zoek⁶ sou³).[1]

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) benefit; advantage; bargain; discount

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) bargain; advantageous

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:so.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “from socialise?”)

• show, 騷／骚, 蘇／苏, 穌／稣

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to respond; to pay attention to

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, in compounds) Alternative form of soc (“society”)

From Vulgar Latin sum, from Latin suum, from Proto-Italic *sowos, from Proto-Indo-European *sewos. Cognates include Italian suo and French son.

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/

so

1. his, her, their

• so is preceded by a definite article (u, a, i, e or l'):

  U so libru. ― His book.

• Unlike its French or Italian cognates, so does not decline, either by gender or number:

  U so libru, i so libri. ― His book, his books.

• “so” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

• IPA^(key): [ˈsobota]

so

1. Abbreviation of sobota (“Saturday”).

From Old Norse sýr, from Proto-Germanic *sūz, from Proto-Indo-European *sū-.

so c (singular definite soen, plural indefinite søer)

1. sow (female pig)
2. (derogatory) slut

• “so” in Den Danske Ordbog

From Old Norse svá, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē. Cognate with Swedish så.

so

1. so, like that, in that manner
2. so, to such a degree

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [so]
• Hyphenation: so

so (accusative singular so-on, plural so-oj, accusative plural so-ojn)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter S/s.

• (Latin-script letter names) litero; a, bo, co, ĉo, do, e, fo, go, ĝo, ho, ĥo, i, jo, ĵo, ko, lo, mo, no, o, po, ro, so, ŝo, to, u, ŭo, vo, zo

From Old Norse svá, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem).

• IPA^(key): /soː/
• Rhymes: -oː
• Homophone: soð

so (not comparable)

1. so, thus, as
2. then

• IPA^(key): /ˈso(ː)/, [ˈs̠o̞(ː)]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification^(key): so

so

1. Alternative form of soo

• “so”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

• sou

so

1. woman

• Karl James Franklin, Pacific Linguistics (1973, →ISBN, page 130: Polopa so/sou woman, cf. DAR sou female animal but we woman.
• Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 15: Boro, Suri, Tebera sou, Sopese šo
• Carol Anderson, Beginning Folopa Language Lessons and Simple Glossary (2010) (as so)

From Latin suus.

so (third-person singular possessive of masculine singular, of feminine singular sô, of masculine plural siei, of feminine plural sôs)

1. (used attributively) his, her, its; of his, hers, its
2. (used predicatively) his, hers, its
3. (used substantively) his, hers, its; the thing belonging to him, her,it

• gno
• lôr
• nestri
• to
• vuestri

• su

From Old Galician-Portuguese so, su, sob, from Latin sub.

• IPA^(key): [sʊ]

so

1. under, beneath

• “so” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “so” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.

From Middle High German sō, from Old High German sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē, compare with Old Dutch so and Dutch zo.

• IPA^(key): /zoː/ (prescriptive standard)
• IPA^(key): /soː/, /sɔ/ (Austria)

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oː

so

1. so, such, that

   Die Leute sind so nett. ― People are so nice.

   Dieser Hammer ist nicht so gut. ― This hammer is not that good.

   Das ist so eine gute Idee! ― That is such a good idea!

   so und so ― such and such

2. as (followed by an adjective or adverb plus wie in a statement of equality)

   Er rennt so schnell wie der Blitz. ― He runs as fast as lightning.

3. thus, like this/that, in this/that way, in this/that manner

   Wenn du den Ball so wirfst, triffst du die Zielscheibe.

   If you throw the ball like this, you'll hit the target.

4. then (in that case)

   Wirst du wieder gesund, so freue ich mich. ― If you get healthy again, then I'll be happy.

5. (colloquial) expletive; sometimes intensifying, sometimes with no noticeable meaning

   Wir sind runtergegangen und haben uns hier so hingesetzt.

   We went downstairs and, like, sat down here.

• einfach so

so

1. (coordinating) thus, so, pursuant to the aforementioned premises
   • 2018, Gerhard Czermak, Eric Hilgendorf, Religions- und Weltanschauungsrecht. Eine Einführung, 2nd edition, Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, § 7 Individuelle Religions- und Weltanschauungsfreiheit Rn. 130, page 68:

     Im Einzelnen ist die Abgrenzung zwischen Bekenntnisfreiheit und Religionsausübungsfreiheit unsicher. So kann etwa die religiöse Kleidung auch der Religionsausübungsfreiheit zugeordnet werden.

     In detail the difference between freedom of confessing and freedom of practicing religion is insecure. Thus for instance, religious clothing can be assigned to the freedom of practicing religion as well.

2. (subordinating, chiefly archaic, sometimes law and regional) an, if

   Synonyms: falls, im Falle dass, wenn

   So es Euch beliebt. ― If it pleases you.

so

1. (colloquial) quotative particle, somewhat similar to be like but also combinable with other verbs

   Ich so: "Mach mal dalli!", und er dann so: "Ich bin ja schon dabei!"

   I was like, "Hurry up!" and he was like, "I'm already on it!"

   Ich dachte mir nur so: "Ja komm, lass stecken."

   All I thought to myself [at that moment] was, "Yeah whatever, forget about it."

   • 1998, “Ich so, Er so”, Dendemann (lyrics), performed by Eins Zwo:

     Und er so wie aus heiterem Himmel so: Momentchen, da läuft doch Hip-Hop!
     Und ich so: Ja, das ist richtig!
     Und er so: Biste auch Rapper?
     Und ich so: Ja, so Hobby
     Und der Typ so original so: Oh welch ein Zufall, das bin ich nämlich auch!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2022 May 16, Lou Zucker, “Erwartungen beim Dating: Mehr als das Minimum”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz‎, →ISSN:

     Besonders überzeugt hatte mich dieser Moment meines Dates: „Ich habe gesagt: Ich weiß nicht, ob ich mich gerade bereit für Sex fühle. Da lag ich schon halb nackt in seinem Bett. Und er so: Cool, dann können wir ja einfach knutschen und kuscheln!“

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• This quotation particle can be combined with a number of verbs but, somewhat unusually, it doesn't require the clause to contain any predicate at all. In such cases, the meaning is roughly that of to say in the past tense.

so

1. (obsolete, relative) that, which, who

   Derhalben sind die Christen schuldig, der Obrigkeit unterthan […] zu seyn in Allem, so ohne Sünde geschehen mag.

   That do the Christians owe: to be obedient to the authority […] in all that may be done without sin.

   (Augsburger Bekenntnis)

• wo
• der
• welcher

so

1. (colloquial) a discourse marker in the beginning of a sentence indicating a topic having been dealt with and another being tackled

   Synonyms: tamam, okay, in Ordnung, fein, gut

   • 1887, Eduard Engel, Griechische Frühlingstage, 4th, purer edition, Radebeul bei Dresden: Haupt & Hammon, published 1927, page 361:

     So, das sind die Entscheidungen der größten Gelehrten über die doch nicht ganz unwichtige Frage, wie eine der Sprachen auszusprechen sei, in der jahraus jahrein in Deutschland gutgezählte 50 000 junge Menschenkinder unterrichtet werden.
     Trotz jenen Entscheidungen ist natürlich noch lange nicht daran zu denken, daß dem Unfug einer als gänzlich falsch erkannten Aussprache des Griechischen ein Ende gesetzt wäre. Der Schlendrian wird auf diesem Gebiete des Schulwesens wohl ebenso lange dauern, wie auf vielen andern; denn bequem ist allerdings jener Schlendrian, nur wissenschaftlich ist er nicht, und unbrauchbar für das Leben ist er obendrein. Die Beseitigung des Schlendrians werde ich wohl nicht mehr erleben, auch dann nicht, wenn Plato selber aus der Asche auferstünde und die deutschen Schulmänner die richtige Aussprache lehrte. Sie würden ihm beweisen, daß er sich irre: er habe in den mehr als zwei Jahrtausenden seit seinem Tode gewiß die richtige Aussprache vergessen; sie aber, die deutschen Oberlehrer und Direktoren, kennten sie ganz genau: sie wäre buchstäblich so wie das Neuhochdeutsche des 20. Jahrhunderts gewesen.

     So these are the reckonings of the greatest scholars about the not quite insignificant question how one of the languages which is taught to about 50 000 young lads per annum should be pronounced.
     In spite of these reckonings by far it is not to think that this buffoonery of an utterly wrong pronunciation of Greek would come to an end. The litherness in this field of schooling will last as long as in many others; for convenient it is forsooth, but scientific it is not, and devoid of use for life ’tis on top. The elimination of this litherness I will not be an observer of in my lifetime, even if Plato himself were to rise from his ashes and teach the pedants the right pronunciation. They would shew him his being at fault: he surely has forgot the right pronunciation; but them, the senior and head teachers know it very well; it would be literally like the New High German of the 20th century.

• “so” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “so”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

sō

1. Romanization of 𐍃𐍉

so

1. Alternative form of sok

• IPA^(key): /sˠɔ/

so

1. Munster form of seo (used after a word ending in a velarized ("broad") consonant)
   • 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 193:

     Ní raibh aoinne cloinne age n-a muinntir ach í agus do mhéaduigh sin uirrim agus grádh na ndaoine don inghean óg so.

     Her parents had no children but her, and that increased the esteem and love of the people for this young girl.

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “so”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Kuninao Nashimoto (2020 March) ニューエクスプレスプラス アイルランド語 (Nyū Ekusupuresu Purasu Airurando-go-->) [New Express Plus Irish] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, →ISBN, pages 17-19

• sò (misspelling)

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ‿|| ˈsɔ/

so

1. first-person singular present indicative of sapere (“I know”)

   Non lo so. ― I don't know (it).

   Lo so io! ― (But) I do (know it)!

• so in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Derived from English so.

• IPA^(key): /so/

so

1. so

   Wa mek unu kip dis-ya ruum so chaka-chaka?

   Why do you keep this room so untidy?

so

1. emphasis particle

   yaso

   right here

   deso

   right there

so

1. Rōmaji transcription of そ
2. Rōmaji transcription of ソ

so (Latin spelling)

1. first-person singular present indicative of ser

Borrowed from English so.

• IPA^(key): /so/
• Rhymes: -o
• Homophone: sô

so

1. so (discourse particle) (clarification of this definition is needed)

so

1. second-person singular imperative of soen

• IPA^(key): /so/

From French son.

so

1. (possessive) his, her, its, one's

From French chaud.

so

1. hot, warm.

• fre

From Old Dutch sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

• IPA^(key): /zoː/

sô

1. so, like that, in that manner
2. so, to such a degree
3. (so ... alse) as
4. then, in that case
5. so, therefore

sô

1. if, in the case that
2. like, as
3. (so ... so) both ... and

• Dutch: zo
• Limburgish: zoe, zoea

Weakened form of soe.

• IPA^(key): /zoː/, /zo/

sô

1. (chiefly Flemish) Alternative form of si (“she”)

• “so (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “so (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “so”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

From Old English swā, from Proto-West Germanic *swā.

• swo
• zo (Kent)

• IPA^(key): /sɔː/

so

1. so

• English: so
• Geordie English: se
• Scots: sae
• Yola: zo, zoo, sae

• “sō, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

so

1. (chiefly Northern dialectal) Alternative form of sche

Borrowed from Norwegian så.

so

1. so, then, in that case
2. so, to this or that extent

• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

• så

From Middle Norwegian so, svo, from Old Norse svá, from Proto-Indo-European *swa. Akin to English so.

• IPA^(key): /suː/

so

1. so

   Dei seier so.

   So they say.

2. that

   Eg visste ikkje at dei skulle vera so mange.

   I didn't know that they were going to be that many.

3. as

   So vidt eg veit.

   As far as I know.

4. then

   Eg gjekk på kino. So gjekk eg heim.

   I went to the movies. Then I went home.

so

1. so

   Eg barberte meg, so ho skulle synast eg var fin.

   I shaved so that she would think I looked nice.

• “so” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Old Occitan so, from Latin ipsum.

so (feminine sa, masculine plural sos, feminine plural sas)

1. Alternative form of lo (rare)

• In the Provençal dialect, the masculine and feminine plural is sei.

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

sō

1. so, like that, in that manner

• Middle Dutch: sô
  • Dutch: zo
  • Limburgish: zoe, zoea

• “sō (I)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

• sa, se, sea, seo, siu

From Proto-Celtic *so (“this”), from Proto-Indo-European *só.

• IPA^(key): /so/

so

1. this (used after the noun, which is preceded by the definite article)

   ind epistil so ― this epistle

• Irish: seo
• Scottish Gaelic: seo
• Manx: shoh

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

sō

1. so, like that, in that manner

so

1. he, it

so

1. masculine nominative singular of ta (“that”)

From Sanskrit स ; सो (sa ; so, “nom.sg.masc pron. and pronom. adj. he, that”).

• IPA^(key): /so/

so (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling سوۡ)

1. the
2. that (agr: rem nom masc)

• Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “so”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /so/

so (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling سوۡ)

1. it
2. he (rem masc nom)

• Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

so

1. grass

• Norma Toland, Donald Toland, Reference Grammar of the Karo/Rawa Language (1991)

so (Faenza)

1. first-person singular present indicative of ësar (“to be”)

so

1. what?[1][2]

   So kerel lesqo papu?

   What is his grandpa doing?

From Proto-Bantu *có.

só class 1a (plural bāsó class 2a)

1. your father
2. your paternal uncle

so

1. first-person singular present indicative of èssere

Reduced form of seo.

• IPA^(key): /s̪ɔ/

so

1. Obsolete form of -sa.
2. Obsolete form of seo.

Borrowed from English so

• IPA^(key): /s̪o/

so

1. (colloquial, informal) so, therefore

• Highly colloquial and English-influenced; forms such as mar sin are preferred in writing.

• sȏl (Croatia)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *solь, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂ls.

• IPA^(key): /sôː/

sȏ f (Cyrillic spelling со̑)

1. (Bosnia, Serbia) salt

From Serbo-Croatian so.

• IPA^(key): /so/

so m

1. salt

• Walter Breu and Giovanni Piccoli (2000), Dizionario croato molisano di Acquaviva Collecroce: Dizionario plurilingue della lingua slava della minoranza di provenienza dalmata di Acquaviva Collecroce in Provincia di Campobasso (Parte grammaticale).

• s

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sъ(n).

• IPA^(key): /zo/
• IPA^(key): (in connection with mnou) /so/

so (+ instrumental)

1. with

   Antonyms: bez, bezo

   • 1903, Jozef Gregor Tajovský, Maco Mlieč :

     „Tak vy ste, Maco, celkom spokojný so službou a plácou?“

     “So, Maco, you are rather satisfied with the service and the wage, aren’t you?”

• The sylabic variant so is used when the next word begins with s, z, š or ž or with a consonant cluster containing one of these consonants. It is also used in connection with mnou (“me”). In all other cases, the variant s is used.

• “so”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

• IPA^(key): /sɔ́/

sȍ

1. third-person plural present of bíti

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/ [ˈso]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: so

Inherited from Latin sub, from Proto-Italic *supo, from Proto-Indo-European *upo.

so

1. (archaic) under

• So is very rare in modern Spanish, surviving only in certain expressions, including so pena de (“on pain of, under penalty of”), so pretexto de or so color de (“under pretext of”), a so capa (“secretly, with bribery”).

Contraction of señor (“Sir”).

so

1. (emphatic, derogatory) you

   ¡So tonto! ― You blithering idiot!

   ¡So borrachos! ― You bloody drunks!

Borrowed from English so.

so

1. (US, Puerto Rico, El Salvador) so

so

1. whoa!

• “so”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

From Old Swedish sō (Old Icelandic/Norwegian sýr), from Old East Norse *sōʀ, from Proto-Germanic *sūz, from Proto-Indo-European *sū-. Compare the identical ko (Old Icelandic/Norwegian kýr, Old Swedish kō).

• IPA^(key): /suː/
• Homophone: zoo

so c

1. (rare) sow (female pig)

• The more common synonym is sugga, especially for the plural form.

• sugga

• OS, os

From English saw.

so

1. saw

From English show.

so

1. show

From Proto-Finnic *soo.

so

1. swamp, marsh, bog

• sohein
• sokesk

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “болото”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎, Petrozavodsk: Periodika

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [sɔ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂɔ˧˧] ~ [sɔ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʂɔ˧˧] ~ [sɔ˧˧]

so

1. (transitive) To compare.

   Synonym: so sánh

   So với bạn thì nó cao hơn. ― Compared to his friend, he is taller.

2. (transitive) To pair up.

   so đũa ― to pair up chopsticks

3. (intransitive) To straighten one's shoulders, as if to compare one's height to another's.

• sánh

Compare sơ (初, “first”).

so

1. firstborn

   con so ― firstborn child

   chửa con so ― to be pregnant for the first time

   trứng gà so ― a chicken's first egg (usually a small egg)

• con so

(classifier con) so

1. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, mangrove horseshoe crab

• sam

so

1. so

• IPA^(key): /soː/
• Rhymes: -oː

so (not mutable)

1. (South Wales) inflection of bod:
   1. second/third-person singular present negative colloquial
   2. first/second/third-person plural present negative colloquial

   So fe’n credu.

   He doesn’t think so.

Unlike other negative verb forms, this form—and sa, which is used for the first-person singular—is not complemented by ddim after the subject.

-so

1. Combining stem of sona.

-so

1. Combining stem of sona.