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so¹

  • /səʊ/ UK
  • /siː/ Northumbria
  • /sə/ unstressed
  • /soʊ/ US
  • [soː] Canada
  • /so/ Scotland
  • /soː/ Wales
  • /sʌo/

Sounds like seau, soe, soh, sew, sow (toe–tow merger) (sense 2) soy (some non-standard dialects) · Rhymes with -əʊ

Where it comes from

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”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).

conjunction

  1. reduced Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that.'so that' I got an earlier train to work so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the meeting.
  2. As a result; for that reason; therefore; because of this; due to this. I was hungry, so I asked if there was any more food.
  3. Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question. So how does this story end?
  4. 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.”
  5. archaic Provided that; on condition that; as long as. Speed. ‘Item: She doth talk in her sleep.’ Launce. It’s no matter for that, so she sleep not in her talk.

adverb

  1. not comparable To the (explicitly stated) extent. It was so hot outside that all the plants died.
  2. not comparable To the (implied) extent. I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]
  3. not comparable Very (positive or negative clause). I feel so much better now.
  4. not comparable Very much. But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!
  5. informal, not comparable at all (negative clause). That is so not true!
  6. not comparable In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also. As above, so below.
  7. not comparable Indeed. ‘Look, it’s just stopped raining.’ ‘So it has!’
  8. not comparable To such an extent or degree; as. so far as;  so long as;  so much as

Similar: really, truly, that, very, that, this, yea, really, truly, very much

adjective more so · most so

  1. Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true. That is so.
  2. In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase. "You're definitely not right about that." "I am so!" (→I am right about that).
  3. UK, dated, slang Homosexual. Is he so?

Similar: one of the family, one of them, that way inclined

interjection

  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. So, let's go home.
  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.
  4. archaic Be as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors.

pronoun

  1. demonstrative That which was previously mentioned; that. I'll become a loyal friend and remain so.

so²

pronoun

  1. abbreviation Abbreviation of someone.someone

so³

Where it comes from

Shortened from sol, to make it an open syllable for uniformity with the rest of the scale, from Glover's solmization, from Middle English sol (“fifth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian sol in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin solve (“wash away”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

noun sos

  1. A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.
  2. Sometimes syllable for both the second and the fifth.

so⁴

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Japanese 蘇 (so).

noun

  1. uncountable A type of dairy product, made especially in Japan between the seventh and tenth centuries, by reducing milk by boiling it.

SO⁵

noun SOs

  1. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of significant other.significant other
  2. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of shut out.shut out
  3. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of shootout.shootout
  4. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of strike out.strike out
  5. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of second-order logic.second-order logic
  6. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of symphony orchestra.symphony orchestra
  7. abbreviation Abbreviation of singlet oxygen.singlet oxygen
  8. abbreviation Abbreviation of standing order.standing order

pronoun

  1. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of someone.someone

proper noun

  1. abbreviation, initialism Initialism of Stack Overflow.Stack Overflow Imagine that you were creating an application similar to SO but were writing it using web forms.

So⁶

noun

  1. plural, plural only A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand.

So⁷

noun

  1. alternative Alternative form of So..So.

So⁸

  • /soʊ/ Canada, US

Rhymes with -əʊ

Where it comes from

From Cantonese 蘇／苏 (sou1).

proper noun

  1. A Chinese surname from Cantonese.

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