sot

American  

[sot] / sɒt /

noun

Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.

   Synonyms:

   lush, drunkard

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sot ¹ British  

/ sɒt /

noun

1. a habitual or chronic drunkard

2. a person stupefied by or as if by drink

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sot ² British  

/ sɒt /

adverb

1. indeed: used to contradict a negative statement

   I am not! — You are sot!

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Other Word Forms

• sottish adjective

Etymology

Origin of sot

First recorded before 1000; Middle English: “fool,” Old English sott, from Medieval Latin sottus; further origin unknown

Explanation

A sot is someone who frequently drinks too much alcohol. If you see someone stumbling out of a bar in the middle of the day, you might be tempted to describe him as a sot. Sot is a somewhat old-fashioned word for a heavy drinker, also known as a lush or a wino. It's also considered insulting and derogatory. The character of the sot has featured in literature and film for years, going at least as far back as Shakespeare, whose famous sots included the drunken Falstaff in "Henry IV" and Sir Toby Belch in "Twelfth Night." In Old English, a sott was a "stupid person or a fool."

Example Sentences

He fired a sot from the right circle that eluded Greiss’ stick with 5:44 remaining.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2021

Others have pointed out that Molière used the expression “un sot savant” in Les Femmes Savantes as far back as the late 17th century.

From Scientific American • Sep. 26, 2017

While the designated sot stumbles through said tale, an assortment of familiar actors in period garb re-enact the story as described more or less exactly, flubs and all.

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2016

I figured that by sunrise, the resourceful Josie would have sorted out this romanticizing sot.

From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2015

Islanders knew him as a nautical sot who affected the gait and mannerisms of a sea captain: he tipped his captain’s hard-billed blue cap wherever he went on San Piedro.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson