so
UK /səʊ/ · US /soʊ/ conjunction, adverb, adjective, interjection, pronoun, noun, proper noun
Also a form of sol
Forms sos
- conjunction As a result; for that reason; therefore; because of this; due to this. “I was hungry, so I asked if there was any more food.”
- conjunction Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question. “So how does this story end?”
- conjunction Used to introduce a rhetorical question. ““We'd like to visit but I don't know if we can afford a hotel.” — “So who's staying in a hotel? Stay with us.””
- conjunction (archaic) Provided that; on condition that; as long as.
- adverb To the (explicitly stated) extent. “It was so hot outside that all the plants died.”
- adverb To the (implied) extent. “I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]”
- adverb Very (positive or negative clause). “I feel so much better now.”
- adverb Very much. “But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!”
- adverb (informal) at all (negative clause). “That is so not true!”
- adverb In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also. “As above, so below.”
- adverb Indeed. “‘Look, it’s just stopped raining.’ ‘So it has!’”
- adverb (with as) To such an extent or degree; as. “so far as; so long as; so much as”
- adjective Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true. “That is so.”
- adjective In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase. “"You're definitely not right about that." "I am so!" (→I am right about that).”
- adjective (dated, UK, slang) Homosexual. “Is he so?”
- interjection Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story, or a new thought or question in continuation of an existing topic. “So, let's go home.”
- interjection Used as a question to ask for further explanation of something said, often rhetorically or in a dismissive or impolite manner. “"You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?"”
- interjection Used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response to a question. “What are you doing? / So I'm just fixing this shelf.”
- interjection (archaic) Be as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors.
- pronoun (demonstrative) That which was previously mentioned; that. “I'll become a loyal friend and remain so.”
Synonyms
so that that like this thus really truly very this yea very much correct right true musical one of the family one of them that way inclined look well see sol soh thusly then and so and then therefore hence thence indeed
Etymology
From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).
Shortened from sol, to make it an open syllable for uniformity with the rest of the scale, from Glover's solmization, from Middle English sol (“fifth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian sol in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin solve (“wash away”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.
Borrowed from Japanese 蘇 (so).
From Cantonese 蘇／苏 (sou1).
Webster’s 1913
- adverb In that manner or degree; as, indicated (in any way), or as implied, or as supposed to be known.
- adverb In like manner or degree; in the same way; thus; for like reason; whith equal reason; --used correlatively, following as, to denote comparison or resemblance; sometimes, also, following inasmuch as. As a war should be undertaken upon a just motive, so a prince ought to consider the condition he is in. Swift.
- conjunction Provided that; on condition that; in case that; if. Though all the winds of doctrine were let loose play upon the earth, so truth be in the field, we do injuriously, by licensing and prohibiting, to misdoubt her strength. Milton.
- interjection Be as you are; stand still; stop; that will do; right as you are; --a word used esp. to cows; also used by sailors.
Etymology [OE. so, sa, swa, AS. swa; akin to OFries, sa, s, D. zoo, OS. & OHG. s, G. so, Icel. sva, sv, svo, so, Sw. s, Dan. saa, Goth. swa so, sw as; cf. L. suus one's own, Skr. sva one's own, one's self. sq. root192. Cf. As, Custom, Ethic, Idiom, Such.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “so”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details