sop

¹

[ sop ]

noun

1. a piece of solid food, as bread, for dipping in liquid food.
2. anything thoroughly soaked.
3. something given to pacify or quiet, or as a bribe:

   The political boss gave him some cash as a sop.

   Synonyms: payoff, gratuity, tip

4. a weak-willed or spineless person; milksop.

verb (used with object)

, sopped, sop·ping.

1. to dip or soak in liquid food:

   to sop bread in gravy.

2. to drench.
3. to take up (liquid) by absorption (usually followed by up ):

   He used bread to sop up the gravy.

verb (used without object)

, sopped, sop·ping.

1. to be or become soaking wet.
2. (of a liquid) to soak (usually followed by in ).

SOP

²

or S.O.P.

abbreviation for

1. Standard Operating Procedure; Standing Operating Procedure.

sop.

³

abbreviation for

1. soprano.

sop

¹

/ sɒp /

noun

1. often plural food soaked in a liquid before being eaten
2. a concession, bribe, etc, given to placate or mollify

   a sop to one's feelings

3. informal.
   a stupid or weak person

verb

1. tr to dip or soak (food) in liquid
2. whenintr, often foll by in to soak or be soaked

sop.

²

abbreviation for

1. soprano

SOP

³

abbreviation for

1. standard operating procedure

Word History and Origins

Origin of sop¹

First recorded before 1000; (for the noun) Middle English; Old English sopp; cognate with Old Norse soppa; verb derivative of the noun; sup ³

Origin of sop²

First recorded in 1940–45

Word History and Origins

Origin of sop¹

Old English sopp; related to Old Norse soppa soup , Old High German sopfa milk with bread; see sup ²

Example Sentences

If Æsop had known elephants—or Scotch terriers—he might have made a fable out of this; but they had not visited Greece in his day.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor can we forget his ideal portrait of “Æsop,” with his book under his arm.

From Project Gutenberg

The fables of Æsop are almost universally known, and the fables of La Fontaine exhibit a high degree of artistic merit.

From Project Gutenberg

The date attached to Henryson's version of Æsop's Fables is that of transcription.

From Project Gutenberg

For his part, Æsop Loving arose and, obeying the ritual, made the proper responses.

From Project Gutenberg