Link Centre Dictionary

sole

UK/səʊl/ US/sɒʊɫ/ fairly common uk
noun (4) adjective (2) verb (1)

noun

1.

the underside of footwear or a golfclub

2.

lean flesh of any of several flatfish

Synonyms
3.

the underside of the foot

4.

right-eyed flatfish; many are valued as food; most common in warm seas especially European

adjective

1.

not divided or shared with others

  • “they have exclusive use of the machine”
  • “sole rights of publication”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

being the only one; single and isolated from others

  • “the lone doctor in the entire county”
  • “a lonesome pine”
  • “an only child”
  • “the sole heir”
  • “the sole example”
  • “a solitary instance of cowardice”
  • “a solitary speck in the sky”
Synonyms
Similar

verb

1.

put a new sole on

  • “sole the shoes”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English sole, soole, from Old English sole, solu. Reinforced by Anglo-Norman sole, Old French sole, from Vulgar Latin *sola (“bottom of the shoe”, also “flatfish”), from Latin solea (“sandal, bottom of the shoe”), from Proto-Indo-European *swol- (“sole”). Cognate with Dutch zool (“sole, tread”), German Sohle (“sole, insole, bottom, floor”), Danish sål (“sole”), Icelandic sóli (“sole, outsole”), Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌻𐌾𐌰 (sulja, “sandal”). Related to Latin solum (“bottom, ground, soil”). More at soil. Compare typologically Russian по́чва (póčva) akin to подо́шва (podóšva).

Phrases

  • American sole
  • black sole
  • brown sole
  • common sole
  • Cornish sole
  • corporation sole
  • Dover sole
  • drab sole
  • feme sole
  • finless sole
  • sole chamber
  • sole corporation

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.