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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

socket.

Any of various concave objects (or portions of larger objects) that envelop a counterpart object.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈsɒkɪt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈsɑkɪt/General-American

  1. Any of various concave objects (or portions of larger objects) that envelop a counterpart object. An opening into which a plug or other connecting part is designed to fit (e.g. a light bulb socket).

  2. Any of various concave objects (or portions of larger objects) that envelop a counterpart object. A hollow into a bone which a part fits, such as an eye, or another bone, in the case of a joint.

  3. Any of various concave objects (or portions of larger objects) that envelop a counterpart object. The socket head for a socket wrench.

  4. Any of various concave objects (or portions of larger objects) that envelop a counterpart object. A hollow tool for grasping and lifting tools dropped in a well-boring.

  5. Any of various concave objects (or portions of larger objects) that envelop a counterpart object. The hollow of a candlestick.

  6. One endpoint of a two-way communication link, used for interprocess communication across a network.

  7. One endpoint of a two-way communication link, used for interprocess communication across a network. One endpoint of a two-way named pipe on Unix and Unix-like systems, used for interprocess communication.

  8. A steel apparatus attached to a saddle to protect the thighs and legs.

  9. The vagina.

    slang · vulgar
Where this word comes from

From Middle English socket, soket, from Anglo-Norman soket (“spearhead”), diminutive of Old French soc (“plowshare”), from Vulgar Latin *soccus, a word borrowed from Gaulish, from Proto-Celtic *sukkos (compare modern Welsh swch (“plowshare”)), literally "pig's snout", from Proto-Indo-European *suH-.

verb/ˈsɒkɪt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈsɑkɪt/General-American

  1. To place or fit in a socket.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English socket, soket, from Anglo-Norman soket (“spearhead”), diminutive of Old French soc (“plowshare”), from Vulgar Latin *soccus, a word borrowed from Gaulish, from Proto-Celtic *sukkos (compare modern Welsh swch (“plowshare”)), literally "pig's snout", from Proto-Indo-European *suH-.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.