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sole

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sole¹

  • /səʊl/ UK
  • [sɒʊɫ] UK, contemporary
  • /soʊl/ Canada, US
  • /səʉl/ Australia
  • [sɔʊɫ] Australia
  • /sɐʉl/ New Zealand
  • [sɒʊɫ] New Zealand
  • [sɔːɫ] New Zealand
  • /soːl/ South Asia

Sounds like Seoul, (toe–tow merger) soul, sowl · Rhymes with -əʊl

Where it comes from

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.

adjective

  1. not comparable Only. 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.
  2. not comparable Unmarried (especially of a woman); widowed.

    Similar: lone

  3. not comparable Unique; unsurpassed. The sole brilliance of this gem.
  4. not comparable With independent power; unfettered. A sole authority.

Similar: individual, first and last, lone, one, one and only, only, single, singular, sole, solitary, unitary · Opposite: accompanying, collective, fellow, many, one of many

sole²

  • /səʊl/ UK
  • [sɒʊɫ] UK, contemporary
  • /soʊl/ Canada, US
  • /səʉl/ Australia
  • [sɔʊɫ] Australia
  • /sɐʉl/ New Zealand
  • [sɒʊɫ] New Zealand
  • [sɔːɫ] New Zealand
  • /soːl/ South Asia

Sounds like Seoul, (toe–tow merger) soul, sowl · Rhymes with -əʊl

Where it comes from

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).

noun soles · soal

  1. The bottom or plantar surface of the foot.

    Similar: planta

  2. The bottom of a shoe or boot. The Caliga was a military Shoe, with a very thick Sole, tied above the instep with leather Thongs.
  3. obsolete The foot itself. Hast wandred through the world now long a day;Yet ceasest not thy wearie soles to lead
  4. Solea solea, a flatfish of the family Soleidae; a true sole. The fishermen crowding in the cafés were also waiting for the end of the storm, when the fish, reassured, would rise to the surface after the bait. Soles, hog fish and skate were returning from their nocturnal expeditions. Day was now breaking.
  5. broadly A flatfish resembling those of the family Soleidae.
  6. The bottom of the body of a plough; the slade.
  7. The bottom of a furrow.
  8. The end section of the chanter of a set of bagpipes.
  9. The horny substance under a horse's foot, which protects the more tender parts.
  10. The bottom of an embrasure.
  11. A piece of timber attached to the lower part of the rudder, to make it even with the false keel. The rudder remains to be repaired, and is unshipped for the purpose; the sole of it is entirely gone
  12. The floor inside the cabin of a yacht or boat
  13. The seat or bottom of a mine; applied to horizontal veins or lodes.

verb soles · soling · soled · soal

  1. transitive To put a sole on a shoe or a boot.

sole³

  • /səʊl/ UK
  • [sɒʊɫ] UK, contemporary
  • /soʊl/ Canada, US
  • /səʉl/ Australia
  • [sɔʊɫ] Australia
  • /sɐʉl/ New Zealand
  • [sɒʊɫ] New Zealand
  • [sɔːɫ] New Zealand
  • /soːl/ South Asia

Sounds like Seoul, (toe–tow merger) soul, sowl · Rhymes with -əʊl

Where it comes from

From Middle English sole, soole, from Old English sāl (“a rope, cord, line, bond, rein, door-hinge, necklace, collar”), from Proto-Germanic *sailą, *sailaz (“rope, cable”), *sailō (“noose, rein, bondage”), from Proto-Indo-European *sey- (“to tie to, tie together”). Cognate with Scots sale, saile (“halter, collar”), Dutch zeel (“rope, cord, strap”), German Seil (“rope, cable, wire”), Icelandic seil (“a string, line”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian dell (“sinew, vein”).

noun soles

  1. dialectal, obsolete A wooden band or yoke put around the neck of an ox or cow in the stall.

sole⁴

  • /səʊl/ UK
  • [sɒʊɫ] UK, contemporary
  • /soʊl/ Canada, US
  • /səʉl/ Australia
  • [sɔʊɫ] Australia
  • /sɐʉl/ New Zealand
  • [sɒʊɫ] New Zealand
  • [sɔːɫ] New Zealand
  • /soːl/ South Asia

Sounds like Seoul, (toe–tow merger) soul, sowl · Rhymes with -əʊl

Where it comes from

From Middle English sol, from Old English sol (“mire, miry place”), from Proto-Germanic *sulą (“mire, wallow, mud”), from Proto-Indo-European *sūl- (“thick liquid”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian soal (“ditch”), Dutch sol (“water and mud filled pit”), German Suhle (“mire, wallow”), Norwegian saula, søyla (“mud puddle”). More at soil.

noun soles · soal

  1. Northern England, dialectal A pond or pool; a dirty pond of standing water.

sole⁵

  • /səʊl/ UK
  • [sɒʊɫ] UK, contemporary
  • /soʊl/ Canada, US
  • /səʉl/ Australia
  • [sɔʊɫ] Australia
  • /sɐʉl/ New Zealand
  • [sɒʊɫ] New Zealand
  • [sɔːɫ] New Zealand
  • /soːl/ South Asia

Sounds like Seoul, (toe–tow merger) soul, sowl · Rhymes with -əʊl

Where it comes from

From earlier sowle (“to pull by the ear”). Origin unknown. Perhaps from sow (“female pig”) + -le, as in the phrase "take a sow by the wrong ear", or from Middle English sole (“rope”). See above.

verb soles · soling · soled · soal · sowl

  1. UK, dialectal, transitive To pull by the ears; to pull about; haul; lug.

Sole⁶

proper noun

  1. A sea area, corresponding to the Sole Bank, to the north of FitzRoy

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: only, single, lone, lonesome, solitary, exclusive, unshared, resole, exclusively, simply, individual, alone, simple, isolated, solitude, lonely

adjective

Similar: individual, first and last, lone, one, one and only, only, single, singular, sole, solitary, unitary · Opposite: accompanying, collective, fellow, many, one of many

Translations

Every language

adj only

Españolsolo, único
日本語唯一の yuiitsu no, yuitsu no
中文唯一 wéiyī
हिन्दीएकलौता eklautā, एकलौती eklautī
Portuguêsúnico
Françaisunique, seul
Deutscheinzig
Italianounico, solo
Ελληνικάμόνος mónos, μοναδικός monadikós, αποκλειστικός apokleistikós
Românăsingur
Русскийеди́нственный jedínstvennyj
العربيةوَحِيد waḥīd
עבריתיָחִיד yaḥíd

adj unmarried; widowed

日本語独身 dokushin, 未婚 mikon
中文獨身 /独身 dúshēn, 單身 /单身 dānshēn, 未婚 wèihūn
हिन्दीएकल ekal
Portuguêssolteiro
Françaiscélibataire
Deutschledig, unverheiratet, alleinstehend
Ελληνικάάγαμος ágamos, χήρος chíros
Русскийнежена́тый neženátyj, холосто́й xolostój, незаму́жняя nezamúžnjaja, одино́кий odinókij
العربيةعَزْب ʕazb

noun bottom of the foot

Españolplanta, planta del pie, planta podal
한국어발바닥 balbadak
日本語足裏 ashiura, 足の裏 ashi no ura
中文腳掌 /脚掌 jiǎozhǎng, 腳底 /脚底 jiǎodǐ, 腳底板 /脚底板 jiǎodǐbǎn, 腳板 /脚板 jiǎobǎn
हिन्दीतलवा talvā
Kiswahiliwayo
Portuguêssola, planta do pé
Françaisplante, plante du pied
DeutschFußsohle
Italianopianta
Ελληνικάπέλμα pélma
Românătalpă
Русскийподо́шва podóšva, ступня stupnja
Tiếng Việtbàn chân
العربيةأَخْمُص ʔaḵmuṣ, بَاطِن القَدَم bāṭin al-qadam, بَاطِن الرِجْل bāṭin ar-rijl

noun bottom of a shoe or boot

Españolsuela
한국어구두창 guduchang
日本語靴底 kutsuzoko
中文鞋底 xiédǐ, 鞋底子 xiédǐzi
हिन्दीनाल nāl
Kiswahilisoli
Portuguêssola
Françaissemelle
DeutschSohle, Schuhsohle
Italianosuola
Ελληνικάσόλα sóla
Românătalpă, pingea
Русскийподо́шва podóšva, подмётка podmjótka
العربيةنَعْل naʕl
עבריתסוּלְיָה sulyá

noun fish

Españollenguado
中文鰨魚 /鳎鱼 tǎyú
Portuguêssolha, linguado
Françaissole
DeutschSeezunge
Italianosogliola
Ελληνικάγλώσσα glóssa
Românăsolă, limbă-de-mare
Русскийморско́й язы́к morskój jazýk
العربيةسَمَك مُوسَى samak mūsā
עבריתסוֹל sol

verb put a sole on (a shoe or boot)

Españolsolar
Portuguêssolar
Françaissemeler
Deutschbesohlen
Italianosuolare
Ελληνικάσολιάζω soliázo
Românăpingeli
Русскийподбить новые подмётки podbitʹ novyje podmjótki

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Cite this
MLA

"sole." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sole. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sole. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sole

Chicago

"sole." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sole.

BibTeX
@misc{sole_2026,
  title = {sole},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sole},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}