sole

¹

[sohl]

adjective

1. being the only one; only.

   the sole living relative.

   Synonyms: solitary

2. being the only one of the kind; unsurpassed; unique; matchless.

   the sole brilliance of the gem.

   Synonyms: individual

3. belonging or pertaining to one individual or group to the exclusion of all others; exclusive.

   the sole right to the estate.

4. functioning automatically or with independent power.

   the sole authority.

5. Chiefly Law.,  not married; unmarried.

6. without company or companions; lonely.

   the sole splendor of her life.

7. Archaic.,  alone.

sole

²

[sohl]

noun

1. the bottom or under surface of the foot.

2. the corresponding under part of a shoe, boot, or the like, or this part exclusive of the heel.

3. the bottom, under surface, or lower part of anything.

4. Carpentry.

   1. the underside of a plane.

   2. soleplate.

5. Golf.,  the part of the head of the club that touches the ground.

verb (used with object)

soled, soling 

1. to furnish with a sole, as a shoe.

2. Golf.,  to place the sole of (a club) on the ground, as in preparation for a stroke.

sole

³

[sohl]

noun

plural

sole ,

plural

soles .

1. a European flatfish, Solea solea, used for food.

2. any other flatfish of the families Soleidae and Cynoglossidae, having a hooklike snout.

sole

¹

/ səʊl /

noun

1. the underside of the foot

2. the underside of a shoe

3. 1. the bottom of a furrow

   2. the bottom of a plough

4. the underside of a golf-club head

5. the bottom of an oven, furnace, etc

verb

1. to provide (a shoe) with a sole

2. golf to rest (the club) on the ground, as when preparing to make a stroke

sole

²

/ səʊl /

adjective

1. (prenominal) being the only one; only

2. (prenominal) of or relating to one individual or group and no other

   sole rights on a patent

3. law having no wife or husband See also feme sole

4. an archaic word for solitary

sole

³

/ səʊl /

noun

1. any tongue-shaped flatfish of the family Soleidae, esp Solea solea ( European sole ): most common in warm seas and highly valued as food fishes

2. any of certain other similar fishes

Other Word Forms

• soleness noun
• soleless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sole¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sol(e), soul(e) “unmarried, single, alone,” from Old French sol, sol(e), sul, from Latin sōlus “alone, on one's own, lonely”

Origin of sole²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (noun) sole, sol(le), from Old French sole, sol(le), soul, from Vulgar Latin, Medieval Latin sola, from Latin solea “plain sandal (fastened with thongs); sole (fish); foundation (timber),” derivative of solum “base, floor, bottom”

Origin of sole³

First recorded in 1250–1300; sole ² ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sole¹

C14: via Old French from Latin solea sandal; probably related to solum the ground

Origin of sole²

C14: from Old French soule, from Latin sōlus alone

Origin of sole³

C14: via Old French from Vulgar Latin sola (unattested), from Latin solea a sandal (from the fish's shape)

Example Sentences

There have been six different winners of the World Cup since England's sole World Cup win, with three of those winning it three times and two others twice.

Read more on BBC

Our Constitution meant to ensure that no one person in American life would ever have sole unlimited power.

Read more on Salon

They were carried out with the sole purpose of generating multiple refunds of a tax that had only been paid once.

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After social exclusion in both high school and university, and as the sole Black American student at Cornell Law School, I was often silent about my own racial origins.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ordering the sole surviving convict to surrender, the court admitted it regretted not ruling sooner.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• exclusive 
• lone 
• one and only 
• remaining www.thesaurus.com