sou

[ soo ]

/ su /

Save This Word!

noun

(formerly) either of two bronze coins of France, equal to 5 centimes and 10 centimes.

sol².

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sou

1810–20; <French; Old French solsol²

Words nearby sou

so to speak, sotted, sottish, sotto voce, SOTU, sou, souari nut, soubise, soubresaut, soubrette, soubriquet

Other definitions for sou (2 of 2)

sou.

abbreviation

south.

southern.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use sou in a sentence

M. d'Infreville, justly incensed against me, had not left me a sou, and my mother and I became terribly poor.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
The flowers are lovely; you can buy a big bunch of violets for a son, and sou is the peasant word for a halfpenny.
Round the Wonderful World|G. E. Mitton
If you don't have the young woman, you can live at Hopton, but without a sou to your name.
Dross|Henry Seton Merriman
But I don't care a sou where I go if I can get to act, or who they are if they'll help me.
The Tragic Muse|Henry James

St. Genis, who hasn't a sou, was out of the question, I suppose.
The Bronze Eagle|Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy

British Dictionary definitions for sou

sou

/ (suː) /

noun

a former French coin of low denomination

a very small amount of moneyI haven't a sou to my name

Word Origin for sou

C19: from French, from Old French sol, from Latin: solidus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012