Definition of 'sole'
Word forms: plural soles
1. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
The sole thing or person of a particular type is the only one of that type.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
sole
sole in British English 1
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
soleness (ˈsoleness) noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French soule, from Latin sōlus alone
sole in British English 2
verb (transitive)
6.
to provide (a shoe) with a sole
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
soleless (ˈsoleless) adjective
Word origin
C14: via Old French from Latin solea sandal; probably related to solum the ground
sole in British English 3
nounWord forms: plural sole or soles
1.
2.
any of certain other similar fishes
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C14: via Old French from Vulgar Latin sola (unattested), from Latin solea a sandal (from the fish's shape)
sole in American English 1
adjective
2.
of or having to do with only one ( specified) person or group
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME < OE sol < L solus, alone < ? IE *sōlo- < base *se-, *s(e)wo-, apart > L suus, one's own
sole in American English 2
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
OFr < VL *sola, for L solea, sandal, sole, kind of fish < solum, sole, base, ground, bottom
sole in American English 3
nounWord forms: plural sole or soles
any of various flatfishes (esp. family Soleidae) usually highly valued as food
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
sole in American English 1
(soul)
adjective
1.
being the only one; only
the sole living relative
3.
belonging or pertaining to one individual or group to the exclusion of all others; exclusive
the sole right to the estate
5. chiefly Law
unmarried
7. archaic
alone
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
soleness noun
Word origin
[1350–1400; ‹ L sōlus alone; r. ME soule alone ‹ OF sol ‹ L sōlus]sole in American English 2
(soul) (verb soled, soling)
noun
1.
the bottom or under surface of the foot
transitive verb
6.
to furnish with a sole, as a shoe
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
soleless adjective
Word origin
[1275–1325; ME (n.) ‹ OF ‹ L solea sandal, sole, deriv. of solum base, bottom]sole in American English 3
(soul)
nounWord forms: plural esp collectively sole or esp referring to two or more kinds or species soles
1.
a European flatfish, Solea solea, used for food
2.
any other flatfish of the families Soleidae and Cynoglossidae, having a hooklike snout
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1300–50; ME ‹ MF ‹ OPr ‹ VL *sola (for L solea; see sole2), so called from its flat shape; cf. Sp suela, It soglia, Pg solha]Examples of 'sole' in a sentence
sole
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Word lists with
sole
Types of fishQuick word challenge
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Question: 1
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Which type of fish am I?
a South American river fish of the genus Salminus that resembles a salmon
Which type of fish am I?
a brightly-coloured marine food fish, Lutjanus sebae, of the Great Barrier Reef
Which type of fish am I?
any of various small marine food fishes of the herring family, esp a young pilchard
Which type of fish am I?
either of two small whitefish, Coregonus vandesius (Lochmaben vendace) or C. gracilior (Cumberland vendace), occurring in lakes in Scotland and NW England respectively
Which type of fish am I?
a European freshwater cyprinid fish, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, having a compressed dark greenish body and reddish ventral and tail fins
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sole
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In other languages
sole
British English: sole
ADJECTIVE /səʊl/
The sole thing or person of a particular type is the only one of that type.
Their sole aim is to destabilize the country.
British English: sole
NOUN /səʊl/
The sole of your foot or of a shoe or sock is the underneath surface of it.
...shoes with rubber soles.
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sole
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Definition of sole from the Collins English Dictionary
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