sole.
Only.
Meaning & usage
Only.
Unmarried (especially of a woman); widowed.
Unique; unsurpassed.
The sole brilliance of this gem.
With independent power; unfettered.
A sole authority.
Where this word 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.
The bottom or plantar surface of the foot.
The bottom of a shoe or boot.
The foot itself.
Solea solea, a flatfish of the family Soleidae; a true sole.
A flatfish resembling those of the family Soleidae.
The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing. The bottom of the body of a plough; the slade.
The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing. The bottom of a furrow.
The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing. The end section of the chanter of a set of bagpipes.
The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing. The horny substance under a horse's foot, which protects the more tender parts.
The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing. The bottom of an embrasure.
The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing. A piece of timber attached to the lower part of the rudder, to make it even with the false keel.
The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing. The floor inside the cabin of a yacht or boat
The seat or bottom of a mine; applied to horizontal veins or lodes.
Where this word 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).
To put a sole on a shoe or a boot.
Where this word 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).
A wooden band or yoke put around the neck of an ox or cow in the stall.
Where this word 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”).
A pond or pool; a dirty pond of standing water.
Where this word 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.
To pull by the ears; to pull about; haul; lug.
Where this word 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.
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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.