CS Knowledge Base

Clipping of English Somali or Afar and Somali Soomaali.

so

2. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Somali.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Somali terms

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”).

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sō, IPA^(key): /səʊ/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

  • (Northumbria) IPA^(key): /siː/
    • (unstressed form) IPA^(key): /sə/
• (US) enPR: sō, IPA^(key): /soʊ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Canada) IPA^(key): [soː]
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /so/
• (Wales, without the toe–tow merger) IPA^(key): /soː/
• (Dublin, Local) IPA^(key): /sʌo/
• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophones: seau, soe, soh; sew, sow (toe–tow merger) (sense 2) soy (some non-standard dialects)

so

2. Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that.

   I got an earlier train to work so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the meeting.

   Eat your broccoli so you can have dessert.

4. 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.

   He ate too much cake and so he fell ill.

   He wanted a book, so he went to the library.

   “I need to go to the bathroom.” ― “So go!”

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ […].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.

5. Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question.

   So how does this story end?

6. 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.”

7. (archaic) Provided that; on condition that; as long as.
   • c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     Speed. ‘Item: She doth talk in her sleep.’
     Launce. It’s no matter for that, so she sleep not in her talk.

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 18, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     As we cal money not onely that which is true and good, but also the false; so it be currant.

   • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 35:

     […] though all the windes of doctrin were let loose play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously by licencing and prohibiting to misdoubt her strength.

   • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar‎^[5], London, page 111:

     I went away very well satisfy’d, not caring where I was sent, so it was but out of his Sight; for he now became more my Aversion than ever.

Chiefly in North American use, a comma or pause is often used before the conjunction when used in the sense as a result. (A similar meaning can often be achieved by using a semicolon or colon (without the so), as for example: He drank the poison; he died.)

The use of so to begin sentences, such as replies to questions, where there is no relevant sense of in order that or for that reason, has become increasingly common over the early part of the 21st century.

• (in order that): so that, that

so (not comparable)

1. To the (explicitly stated) extent.

   It was so hot outside that all the plants died.

   He was so good, they hired him on the spot.

   You behaviour so incensed me that I even thought of firing you.

   It was so cold a day that I could hardly breathe outside.

   So ridiculously did I do in the exam that mom grounded me for a month.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ […].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.

   • 2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.

2. To the (implied) extent.

   I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.

3. Very (positive or negative clause).

   I feel so much better now.

   I so nearly lost my temper.

   It’s not so bad. [i.e. it's acceptable]

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.

4. Very much.

   But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

     Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust.

   • 1989, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5, Archie Comics:

     I so wanted to be Jess Harley again.

   • 2003 April 16, Michael Stokes, “I, Dude”, in Totally Spies!, season 2, episode 9, spoken by Clover (Andrea Taylor), Marathon Media, via Teletoon:

     Yeah! Not eating is so 90’s!

   1. (informal) at all (negative clause).

      That is so not true!

5. In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also.

   As above, so below.

   Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine.

   Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so.

   "I can count backwards from one hundred." "So can I."

   He wants to eat now. So does she.

   • 1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC:

     "Good morrow to thee, jolly fellow," quoth Robin, "thou seemest happy this merry morn." ¶ "Ay, that am I," quoth the jolly Butcher, "and why should I not be so? Am I not hale in wind and limb? Have I not the bonniest lass in all Nottinghamshire? And lastly, am I not to be married to her on Thursday next in sweet Locksley Town?"

   • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 192:

     The work thus done has probably been of the greatest value to the human race; but, just as in other cases it has sometimes happened that the effort to do a certain work has resulted in the end in an unbalanced exaggeration so here.

   • 2012 May 19, Paul Fletcher, “Blackpool 1-2 West Ham”, in BBC Sport:

     It was a goal that meant West Ham won on their first appearance at Wembley in 31 years, in doing so becoming the first team since Leicester in 1996 to bounce straight back to the Premier League through the play-offs.

   • 2019, Amanda Koci, Henry Walter, Charlie Puth, Maria Smith, Victor Thellm, Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckle, “So Am I”, performed by Ava Max:

     it's okay to be different
     'Cause baby, so am I

6. Indeed.

   ‘Look, it’s just stopped raining.’ ‘So it has!’

   ‘There are two more.’ ‘So there are.’

7. (with as) To such an extent or degree; as.

   so far as;  so long as;  so much as

• Use of so in the sense to the implied extent is discouraged in formal writing; spoken intonation which might render the usage clearer is not usually apparent to the reader, who might reasonably expect the extent to be made explicit. For example, the reader may expect He is so good to be followed by an explanation or consequence of how good he is. Devices such as use of underscoring and the exclamation mark may be used as a means of clarifying that the implicit usage is intended; capitalising SO is also used. The derivative subsenses very and very much are similarly more apparent with spoken exaggerated intonation.

• The difference between so and very in implied-extent usage is that very is more descriptive or matter-of-fact, while so indicates more emotional involvement. For example, she is very clever is a simple statement of opinion; she is so clever suggests admiration. Likewise, that is very typical is a simple statement; that is SO typical of him! is an indictment. A formal (and reserved) apology may be expressed I am very sorry, but after elbowing someone in the nose during a basketball game, a man might say, Dude, I am so sorry! in order to ensure that it's understood as an accident.^[1]

• (very): really, truly, that, very
• (to a particular extent): that, this, yea
• (in the same aformentioned manner): like this, thus
• (slang: very much): really, truly, very much

so (comparative more so, superlative most so)

1. Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true.

   That is so.

   You are responsible for this, is that not so?

   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     “My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. ¶ Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. ¶ “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”

   • 2008, Leslie T. Chang, Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China‎^[6], New York: Spiegel & Grau, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 73:

     The details of her own life crowded out everything else; almost every time I saw Min, she had something new to tell me. It sometimes felt as if the laws of the physical world did not apply to her, that she had only to think of something — a job switch, a breakup — to make it so. If I didn’t see her for a while, she might forget to tell me that she had quit a factory or gotten a raise, because in her mind she had already moved on.

2. 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).

   • 1823, Andrew Reed, Martha:

     If this separation was painful to all parties, it was most so to Martha.

   • 1872, Charles Dickens, “The Personal History of David Copperfield”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     But if I had been more fit to be married, I might have made you more so too.

   • 1947, Liberty Hyde Bailey, The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture:

     It must be understood that while the nelumbiums are hardy, they are so only as long as the tubers are out of the reach of frost.

3. (dated, UK, slang) Homosexual.

   Is he so?

• (true): correct, right, true
• (euphemistic: homosexual): musical, one of the family, one of them, that way inclined

• make it so
• more so

so

1. 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.

   Synonyms: look, well, see, hey

   So, let's go home.

   So, what'll you have?

   So, there was this squirrel stuck in the chimney...

   So, everyone wants to know – did you win the contest or not?

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter XI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. 'Twas a dismal sort of place, with hair wreaths, and wax fruit, and tin lambrekins, and land knows what all.

2. 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?"

3. Used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response to a question.

   What are you doing? / So I'm just fixing this shelf.

   What time does the train leave? / So it leaves at 10 o'clock.

4. (archaic) Be as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors.

Though certain uses of "sentence-initial so" had been common for a long time, the perceived excessive use of the word at the start of sentences, such as at the start of answers to questions, became controversial in the 2010s, being described as "annoying".^[1][2]

so

1. (demonstrative) That which was previously mentioned; that.

   I'll become a loyal friend and remain so.

   If that's what you really mean, then just say so.

   You may need to refer to litigation as a procedure, and when you have done so, you can say a matter is "in litigation".

   • 2026 May, Alessandra Pellegrino, “Palazzo Pant”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 26:

     "When I went to Venice, I discovered that my dream had become—incredibly but quite simply—my address." So wrote Marcel Proust, capturing the essence of a city where water, light, art, and memory converge.

• Restricted to verbs which can take clausal complements, such as those relating to communication (e.g. say so), knowledge or belief (e.g. think so, expect so), or action (e.g. do so), as well as stative verbs (e.g. seem so, remain so).

so

1. Abbreviation of someone.

• sb (“somebody”)

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.

so (plural sos)

1. (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.
   1. (shapenote) Sometimes syllable for both the second and the fifth.

Borrowed from Japanese 蘇 (so).

so (uncountable)

1. (foods) A type of dairy product, made especially in Japan between the seventh and tenth centuries, by reducing milk by boiling it.

• So (dairy product) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Another photo of so at Wikicommons

• “so”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “so”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

• ah so

• -os, -os-, O&S, O's, O. S., O.S., OS, OS., Os, o's, o.s., os, os-

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ/

so

1. indicates the interrogative
2. marks the preceding masculine NP as genitive (association, usually possession)
3. (men's speech) emphatic particle

so

1. indicates the negative

so gender m

1. this, that; demonstrative determiner

• Abau Dictionary © 2020 SIL International (Available online: [7])

• soe (Western Cape)

From Dutch zo, from Middle Dutch sô, from Old Dutch sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from a merger of Proto-Germanic *swa and *swē.

• IPA^(key): /sʊə̯/

so

1. so, like that/this, thus (in such a way)
2. so, that, to such an extent

• sodat

so

1. To stand (to be in a standing position).

• Næss, Åshild (2017), “so”, in A short dictionary of Äiwoo (Studies in the Languages of Island Melanesia; A-PL 35)‎^[8], Canberra, ACT: Asia-Pacific Linguistics, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, page 42
• Ross, Malcolm; Næss, Åshild (December 2007), “An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands?”, in Oceanic Linguistics‎^[9], volume 46, number 2, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, →DOI, pages 456–98

so

1. on

   Synonym: do (Fante)

   • 2024, Kweku Smoke, “Agyekum”, in Kweku Jesus (hip-hop, rap music), Ghana:

     Yebaaeɛ na ɛyɛ o sɛ yɛbaa ha bɛyɛɛ deɛn o / Kofi Amankwaa ne Ceci na ɛde me baa ha / Nokware ne nyinaa, ɔmo nim / Sɛ fiti Wukuada awia ketekete a metɔɔ hɔ ngɛɛ / Obra mu anigyeɛ paa deɛ mammɛto bi da / Banku mmienu, nnipa nnan, kɛtɛ nni hɔ, veranda so

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

From Proto-Nuristani *swayya, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *suHaryáH, from *súHar, from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥.^[1]

so (Sanu)^[2]

1. sun

From Latin sub.

so

1. (West) under
2. (Center and East) on

• sol

From Latin suus (“his, her, its”).

so m sg (feminine so, masculine plural sos, feminine plural sos, neuter so)

1. his, her, its
2. your (polite)
3. their

so

1. his, hers
2. yours (polite)

• suyu

• soi

so

1. first-person singular present indicative of ser

so (tone sǒ)

1. horse

so

1. house, home

• IPA^(key): /s̺o/ [s̺o]
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: so

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

so (not comparable)

1. (chiefly Northern) [with dative or allative] looking at

so inan

1. (chiefly Northern) look, gaze

so

1. whoa

   Synonyms: iso, esti

• “so”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “so”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

so

1. he

Inherited from Old Catalan so~son, from Latin sonus. Compare Occitan son, French son, Spanish sueno.

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈso̞]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈsɔ]

so m (plural sons)

1. sound

• sonar
• sònic

Back-formation from sons (plural). Compare Spanish sueño, Portuguese sono, from Latin somnus.

• son (standard)

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈso̞]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈsɔ]

so m (plural sons)

1. (Tarragon, Mallorca, Menorca) sleep

• sonar
• sònic

• só (pre-2016)

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈsu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈso]

so (archaic, Central, Northwest Catalan, Alghero)

1. first-person singular present indicative of ésser
2. first-person singular present indicative of ser

• This form is still used in certain dialects, such as Algherese.

• s' (after amb or sometimes en, before a vowel)
• es (not after amb or sometimes en)

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/, /ˈsu/

so

1. (Mallorca, Ibiza) alternative form of es (“the”, masculine singular) (used after amb (“with”) and sometimes en (“in”), before a consonant)

   Va anar-hi amb so cotxe. ― He went there with the car.

• “so”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “so”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “so” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “so”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

From clipping of Hong Kong English jetso, from Cantonese 著數 / 着数 (zoek⁶ sou³).^[1]

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) benefit; advantage; bargain; discount

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) bargain; advantageous

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to benefit; to provide an advantage to

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:so.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “from socialise?”)

• show, 騷 / 骚, 蘇 / 苏, 穌 / 稣

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to respond; to pay attention to

so

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, in compounds) alternative form of soc (“society”)

From Vulgar Latin sum, from Latin suum, from Proto-Italic *sowos, from Proto-Indo-European *sewos. Cognates include Italian suo and French son.

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/

so

1. his, her, their

• so is preceded by a definite article (u, a, i, e or l'):

  U so libru. ― His book.

• Unlike its French or Italian cognates, so does not decline, either by gender or number:

  U so libru, i so libri. ― His book, his books.

• “so” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

• IPA^(key): [ˈsobota]

so f

1. abbreviation of sobota (“Saturday”)

From Old Danish so, from Old East Norse *sūʀ (see Old Norse sýr), from Proto-Germanic *sūz, from Proto-Indo-European *sū-.

• IPA^(key): /soː/, [ˈsoˀ]
• Homophone: zoo

so c (singular definite soen, plural indefinite søer)

1. sow (female pig)
2. (derogatory) slut

• møgso
• smatso
• griseso

• “so” in Den Danske Ordbog

From Old Norse svá, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē. Cognate with Swedish så.

so

1. so, like that, in that manner
2. so, to such a degree

• IPA^(key): /so/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: so

so (accusative singular so-on, plural so-oj, accusative plural so-ojn)

1. The name of the Latin script letter S/s.

• (Latin-script letter names) litero; a, bo, co, ĉo, do, e, fo, go, ĝo, ho, ĥo, i, jo, ĵo, ko, lo, mo, no, o, po, ro, so, ŝo, to, u, ŭo, vo, zo

• “so”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “so”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

From Old Norse svá, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem).

• IPA^(key): /soː/
• Rhymes: -oː
• Homophone: soð

so (not comparable)

1. so, thus, as
2. then

• IPA^(key): /ˈso(ː)/, [ˈs̠o̞(ː)]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification^(key): so
• Hyphenation^(key): so

so

1. alternative form of soo

• “so”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[10] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

• sou

so

1. woman

• Karl James Franklin, Pacific Linguistics (1973, →ISBN), page 130: Polopa so/sou woman, cf. DAR sou female animal but we woman.
• Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 15: Boro, Suri, Tebera sou, Sopese šo
• Carol Anderson, Beginning Folopa Language Lessons and Simple Glossary (2010) (as so)

From Latin suus.

so (third-person singular possessive of masculine singular, of feminine singular sô, of masculine plural siei, of feminine plural sôs)

1. (used attributively) his, her, its; of his, hers, its
2. (used predicatively) his, hers, its
3. (used substantively) his, hers, its; the thing belonging to him, her,it

• gno
• lôr
• nestri
• to
• vuestri

• su

From Old Galician-Portuguese so, su, sob, from Latin sub.

• IPA^(key): [sʊ]

so

1. under, beneath

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “so”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “so”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

From Middle High German sō, from Old High German sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē, compare with Old Dutch so and Dutch zo.

• IPA^(key): /zoː/, /zɔ/ (Germany)

  • Audio:

    (file)

    (Germany)

  • Audio:

    (file)

    (Germany (Berlin))

  • Audio:

    (file)

    (Germany (Berlin))

• IPA^(key): /soː/, /sɔ/ (Austria, Southern Germany, Switzerland)
• Rhymes: -oː

so

1. so, such, that

   Die Leute sind so nett. ― People are so nice.

   Dieser Hammer ist nicht so gut. ― This hammer is not that good.

   Das ist so eine gute Idee! ― That is such a good idea!

   so und so ― such and such

2. as (followed by an adjective or adverb plus wie in a statement of equality)

   Er rennt so schnell wie der Blitz. ― He runs as fast as lightning.

3. so, thus, like this/that, in this/that way, in this/that manner

   Wenn du den Ball so wirfst, triffst du die Zielscheibe.

   If you throw the ball like this, you'll hit the target.

4. (formal) then (in that case)

   Synonym: dann

   Wirst du wieder gesund, so freue ich mich. ― If you get healthy again, then I'll be happy.

5. (informal) roughly, about (according to one's own estimation/memory)

   Das Teil müsste so 10 cm lang sein. ― The part should be about 10 cm long.

6. (colloquial) expletive; sometimes intensifying, sometimes with no noticeable meaning

   Wir sind runtergegangen und haben uns hier so hingesetzt.

   We went downstairs and, like, sat down here.

• einfach so
• so oder so
• so etwas, sowas
• und so weiter, und so
• so'n

so

1. (coordinating) thus, so, pursuant to the aforementioned premises
   • 2018, Gerhard Czermak, Eric Hilgendorf, Religions- und Weltanschauungsrecht. Eine Einführung, 2nd edition, Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, § 7 Individuelle Religions- und Weltanschauungsfreiheit Rn. 130, page 68:

     Im Einzelnen ist die Abgrenzung zwischen Bekenntnisfreiheit und Religionsausübungsfreiheit unsicher. So kann etwa die religiöse Kleidung auch der Religionsausübungsfreiheit zugeordnet werden.

     In detail the difference between freedom of confessing and freedom of practicing religion is insecure. Thus for instance, religious clothing can be assigned to the freedom of practicing religion as well.

2. (subordinating, chiefly archaic, sometimes law and regional) an, if

   Synonyms: falls, im Falle dass, wenn

   So es Euch beliebt. ― If it pleases you.

so

1. (colloquial) quotative particle, somewhat similar to be like but also combinable with other verbs

   Ich so: "Mach mal dalli!", und er dann so: "Ich bin ja schon dabei!"

   I was like, "Hurry up!" and he was like, "I'm already on it!"

   Ich dachte mir nur so: "Ja komm, lass stecken."

   All I thought to myself [at that moment] was, "Yeah whatever, forget about it."

   • 1998, “Ich so, Er so”, Dendemann (lyrics), performed by Eins Zwo:

     Und er so wie aus heiterem Himmel so: Momentchen, da läuft doch Hip-Hop!
     Und ich so: Ja, das ist richtig!
     Und er so: Biste auch Rapper?
     Und ich so: Ja, so Hobby
     Und der Typ so original so: Oh welch ein Zufall, das bin ich nämlich auch!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2022 May 16, Lou Zucker, “Erwartungen beim Dating: Mehr als das Minimum”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz‎^[11], →ISSN:

     Besonders überzeugt hatte mich dieser Moment meines Dates: „Ich habe gesagt: Ich weiß nicht, ob ich mich gerade bereit für Sex fühle. Da lag ich schon halb nackt in seinem Bett. Und er so: Cool, dann können wir ja einfach knutschen und kuscheln!“

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (colloquial) generalizing particle, combines with question words to ask to be given a broad idea, typically by way of some examples

   Was liest du so? ― What sort of things do you read? (Give me a handful of titles)

   Wie ist es da so? ― What's it like there? (Tell me of your typical experience)

• This quotation particle can be combined with a number of verbs but, somewhat unusually, it doesn't require the clause to contain any predicate at all. In such cases, the meaning is roughly that of to say in the past tense.

so

1. (obsolete, relative) that, which, who

   Derhalben sind die Christen schuldig, der Obrigkeit unterthan […] zu seyn in Allem, so ohne Sünde geschehen mag.

   That do the Christians owe: to be obedient to the authority […] in all that may be done without sin.

   (Augsburger Bekenntnis)

• wo
• der
• welcher

so

1. (informal) alright; a discourse marker indicating a topic having been dealt with

   Synonyms: tamam, okay, in Ordnung, fein, gut

   • 1887, Eduard Engel, Griechische Frühlingstage, 4th, purer edition, Radebeul bei Dresden: Haupt & Hammon, published 1927, page 361:

     So, das sind die Entscheidungen der größten Gelehrten über die doch nicht ganz unwichtige Frage, wie eine der Sprachen auszusprechen sei, in der jahraus jahrein in Deutschland gutgezählte 50 000 junge Menschenkinder unterrichtet werden.

     All right, those were the decision of the greatest learned men about the not entirely unimportant question of how pronounce one of the languages in which, year in, year out, a good 50,000 young children are taught in Germany.

• Typical usage contexts are as the prelude to ending a visit to someone's house, after having finished a task, or after just having explained background information necessary for what follows.

• “so”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[12] (in German)
• Friedrich Kluge (1883), “so”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

sō

1. romanization of 𐍃𐍉

From French son.

so

1. his, her, its

• Barthelemi, Georges (1995), Dictionnaire pratique créole guyanais - français [Practical Guianese Creole-French Dictionary] (in French), Cayenne: Ibis Rouge Éditions, →ISBN, page 182

so

1. alternative form of sok

• IPA^(key): /sˠo/, /sˠə/^[1]

so

1. Munster form of seo (used after a word ending in a velarized ("broad") consonant)

• 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 193:

  Ní raibh aoinne cloinne age n-a muinntir ach í agus do mhéaduigh sin uirrim agus grádh na ndaoine don inghean óg so.

  Her parents had no children but her, and that increased the esteem and love of the people for this young girl.

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “so”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Nashimoto, Kuninao (2020), “so”, in ニューエクスプレスプラス アイルランド語 [Nyūekusupuresu Purasu Airurando-go, New Express Irish] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, →ISBN, pages 17–19

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• sò (misspelling)

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ/^*[1]
• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Hyphenation: sò

so

1. first-person singular present indicative of sapere (“to know”)

   Non lo so. ― I don't know (it).

   Lo so io! ― (But) I do (know it)!

Inherited from Latin sub.^[2]

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: só

so (archaic or regional)

1. under, beneath, underneath
2. below, south of

so (archaic or regional)

1. down
2. underneath
3. below

• so- / sub-
• sottano
• sotto

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form..^[3]

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/
• Rhymes: -o
• Hyphenation: só

so (feminine sa, masculine plural soi, feminine plural se)

1. (regional) alternative form of suo

so (feminine sa, masculine plural soi, feminine plural se)

1. (regional) alternative form of suo

Inherited from English so.

• IPA^(key): /so/

so

1. so

   Wa mek unu kip dis-ya ruum so chaka-chaka?

   Why do you keep this room so untidy?

so

1. emphasis particle

   yaso

   right here

   deso

   right there

so

1. The hiragana syllable そ (so) or the katakana syllable ソ (so) in Hepburn romanization.

Ultimately from Proto-Athabaskan *šʷaˑ. Cognate with Ahtna saa.

so

1. sun

• Thompson, Chad Lawrence (1989), Voice and obviation in Athabaskan and other languages (dissertation), University of Oregon, page 78

so

1. first-person singular present indicative of ser

Borrowed from English so.

• IPA^(key): /so/
• Rhymes: -o
• Homophone: sô

so

1. so (discourse particle) (clarification of this definition is needed)

• IPA^(key): /sɔ/

so (Toklat-Bearpaw)

1. alternative form of sro

• Kari, James et al. (2024), Kari, James, editor, Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 507

so

1. second-person singular imperative of soen

• IPA^(key): /so/

From French son.

so

1. (possessive) his, her, its, one's

From French chaud.

so

1. hot, warm

   Antonym: fre

• Baker, Philip; Hookoomsing, Vinesh Y. (1987), Diksiyoner kreol morisyeṅ [Mauritian Creole Dictionary] (in French and English), Paris: L'Harmattan, →ISBN, page 299
• Carpooran, Arnaud (2011), Diksioner Morisien [Mauritian Dictionary] (in Mauritian Creole), second edition, Éditions Le Printemps, →ISBN, page 992

From Old Dutch sō, from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

• IPA^(key): /zoː/

sô

1. so, like that, in that manner
2. so, to such a degree
3. (so ... alse) as
4. then, in that case
5. so, therefore

sô

1. if, in the case that
2. like, as
3. (so ... so) both ... and

• Dutch: zo
• Limburgish: zoe, zoea

Weakened form of soe.

• IPA^(key): /zoː/, /zo/

sô

1. (chiefly Flemish) alternative form of si (“she”)

• “so (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “so (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “so”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

From Old English swā, from Proto-West Germanic *swā.

• sa, swo, swa
• zo, zuo (Kent)

• IPA^(key): /sɔː/

so

1. so

• English: so
• Geordie: se
• Scots: sae
• Yola: zo, zoo, sae

• “sō, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

so

1. (chiefly Northern dialectal) alternative form of sche

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *saw.

so

1. to boil
2. to heat up metal so it becomes white-hot

• Lorrain, J. Herbert (1940), “so”, in Dictionary of the Lushai language, Calcutta: Asiatic Society

• su

From Malay sudah.

• IPA^(key): /sɔ/
• (in fast speech) IPA^(key): /sɔ̆/, /sɔ̥/

so

1. perfective aspect, indicating that the process has been accomplished

   Dong so balajar di skola.

   They have studied at school.

Borrowed from Norwegian så.

so

1. so, then, in that case
2. so, to this or that extent

• Eino Koponen, Klaas Ruppel, Kirsti Aapala, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[13], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

• så

From Middle Norwegian so, svo, from Old Norse svá, from Proto-Indo-European *swa. Akin to English so.

• IPA^(key): /suː/

so

1. so

   Dei seier so.

   So they say.

2. that

   Eg visste ikkje at dei skulle vera so mange.

   I didn't know that they were going to be that many.

3. as

   So vidt eg veit.

   As far as I know.

4. then

   Eg gjekk på kino. So gjekk eg heim.

   I went to the movies. Then I went home.

so

1. so

   Eg barberte meg, so ho skulle synast eg var fin.

   I shaved so that she would think I looked nice.

• “so” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Old Occitan so, from Latin ipsum.

so (feminine sa, masculine plural sos, feminine plural sas)

1. alternative form of lo (rare)

• In the Provençal dialect, the masculine and feminine plural is sei.

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

sō

1. so, like that, in that manner

• Middle Dutch: sô
  • Dutch: zo
  • Limburgish: zoe, zoea

• “sō (I)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

sō

1. so, like that, in that manner
2. as

• Middle High German: sō
  • Central Franconian: su, so
    • Luxembourgish: sou
  • German: so

• sa, se, sea, seo, siu

From Proto-Celtic *so (“this”), from Proto-Indo-European *só.

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/

so

1. this (used after the noun, which is preceded by the definite article)

   ind epistil so ― this epistle

• Irish: seo
• Scottish Gaelic: seo
• Manx: shoh

From Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa.

sō

1. so, like that, in that manner
2. as
   • Heliand, verse 906

     ...sō Johannes duot diurlīk dōperi dago gehwilikas...

     ...as John does, dear baptist, every day...

so

1. he, it

so

1. masculine nominative singular of ta (“that”)

From Sanskrit स ; सो (sa ; so, “nom.sg.masc pron. and pronom. adj. he, that”).

• IPA^(key): /so/

so (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling سوۡ)

1. the
2. that (agr: rem nom masc)

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “so”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[14], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “so”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /so/

so (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling سوۡ)

1. it
2. he (rem masc nom)

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “so”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[15], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

From English so.

• IPA^(key): /sò/

so

1. so, thus

• Kofi Yakpo (2019), A grammar of Pichi (Studies in Diversity Linguistics; 23)‎^[16], Berlin: Language Science Press, →DOI, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 575

• IPA^(key): [sɔː]

so

1. one

• Tryon, D. T. (1976), New Hebrides languages: An internal classification (Pacific Linguistics; C-50)‎^[17], Canberra, ACT: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University
• Manfred Krifka, Notes on Daakie (Port Vato): Sounds and Modality (Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin & Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

so

1. grass

• Norma Toland, Donald Toland, Reference Grammar of the Karo/Rawa Language (1991)

• cho (High Creole)

From French chaud.

so (Low Creole)

1. warm, hot

• Armand, Alain (1987), Dictionnaire Kréol rénioné/Français [Reunionese Creole-French Dictionary] (in French), Océan Éditions, →ISBN, page 331

so (Faenza)

1. first-person singular present indicative of ësar (“to be”)

so

1. what?^[1][2]

   So kerel lesqo papu?

   What is his grandpa doing?

From Proto-Bantu *có.

só class 1a (plural bāsó class 2a)

1. your father
2. your paternal uncle

Borrowed from Tibetan ཚ་བོ (tsha bo).^[1] (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /so/

so (3rd person possessive sosı, plural solar)

1. sister's son, sororal nephew

• 林莲云 [Lin Lianyun] (1992), “so”, in 撒拉汉汉撒拉词汇 [Salar-Chinese, Chinese-Salar Vocabulary], 成都 [Chéngdū]: 四川民族出版社, →ISBN, page 60
• Ma, Chengjun; Han, Lianye; Ma, Weisheng (December 2010), “so”, in 米娜瓦尔·艾比布拉 [Minavar Abibra], editor, 撒维汉词典 [Sā-Wéi-Hàn cídiǎn, Salar-Uyghur-Chinese dictionary] (in Chinese), 1st edition, Beijing, →ISBN, pages 257-258

so

1. first-person singular present indicative of èssere

Reduced form of seo.

• IPA^(key): /s̪ɔ/

so

1. obsolete form of -sa
2. obsolete form of seo

Borrowed from English so

• IPA^(key): /s̪o/

so

1. (highly colloquial, informal) so, therefore

   Synonym: mar sin

• sȏl (Croatia)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *solь, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂ls.

• IPA^(key): /sôː/

sȏ f (Cyrillic spelling со̑)

1. (Bosnia, Serbia) salt

From Serbo-Croatian so.

• IPA^(key): /so/

so m

1. salt

• Walter Breu and Giovanni Piccoli (2000), Dizionario croato molisano di Acquaviva Collecroce: Dizionario plurilingue della lingua slava della minoranza di provenienza dalmata di Acquaviva Collecroce in Provincia di Campobasso (Parte grammaticale).

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sъ(n).

• IPA^(key): /zo/, (with mnou) /so/

so [with instrumental]

1. alternative form of s
   • 1903, Jozef Gregor Tajovský, Maco Mlieč:

     „Tak vy ste, Maco, celkom spokojný so službou a plácou?“

     “So, Maco, you are rather satisfied with the service and the wage, aren’t you?”

• Used when the next word begins with s, z, š or ž or with a consonant cluster containing one of these consonants. It is also used with the pronoun mnou (“me”).

• “so”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2026

• IPA^(key): /sɔ́/

sȍ

1. third-person plural present of bíti

• IPA^(key): /ˈso/ [ˈso]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: so

Inherited from Latin sub, from Proto-Italic *supo, from Proto-Indo-European *upo.

so

1. (archaic) under

   Synonyms: debajo de, bajo

• So is very rare in modern Spanish, surviving only in certain expressions, including so pena de (“on pain of, under penalty of”), so pretexto de or so color de (“under pretext of”), a so capa (“secretly, with bribery”).

Abbreviation of seó, clipping of seor, clipping of señor (“Sir”), from Old Spanish sennor, from Latin senior, from senex, from Proto-Italic *seneks, from *senos, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos.

so

1. (emphatic, derogatory) blithering, bloody

   Near-synonym: pedazo

   ¡So tonto! ― [You] blithering fool!

   ¡So borrachos! ― [You] bloody drunks!

Borrowed from English so.

so

1. (US, Puerto Rico, Philippines, El Salvador) so

so

1. whoa!

• “so”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

From Old Swedish sō (Old Icelandic/Norwegian sýr), from Old East Norse *sōʀ, from Proto-Germanic *sūz, from Proto-Indo-European *sū-. Compare the identical ko (Old Icelandic/Norwegian kýr, Old Swedish kō).

• IPA^(key): /suː/
• Homophone: zoo
• Rhymes: -uː

so c

1. (rare) sow (female pig)

• The more common synonym is sugga, especially for the plural form.

• sugga

• OS, os

Borrowed from English so.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈso/ [ˈso], /ˈsow/ [ˈsoʊ̯]
• Rhymes: -o, -ow
• Syllabification: so

so (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜓ) (colloquial)

1. so; therefore; hence

   Synonyms: kaya, dahil doon, dahil diyan, sa gayon

   Marami siyang ginawang trabaho, so nakatulog siya agad pag-uwi niya.

   He'd done a lot of work, so as soon as he got home, he fell asleep instantly.

2. 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 kumusta ka na?

   So how are you?

   So ano kinalaman nito sa akin?

   So what does this have to do with me?

From English saw.

so

1. saw

From English show.

so

1. show

• sej

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sę. Cognate with Lower Sorbian se.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ/
• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Syllabification: so

so

1. reflexive pronoun: oneself, self
2. each other, one another
3. expresses the impersonal or passive mood

• Křesćan Pful, editor (1866), “so”, in Łužiski serbski słownik / Lausitzisch Wendisches Wörterbuch‎^[18] (in German), Budyšin: Maćica Serbska, page 656
• “so”, in Mudra corpus [Upper Sorbian–Czech dictionary] (in Czech), 2024–2026
• “so” in Soblex

From Proto-Finnic *soo.

so

1. swamp, marsh, bog

Inflection of so (inflection type 13/ma)
nominative sing.	so
genitive sing.	son
partitive sing.	sod
partitive plur.	soid
	singular	plural
nominative	so	sod
accusative	son	sod
genitive	son	soiden
partitive	sod	soid
essive-instructive	son	soin
translative	soks	soikš
inessive	sos	soiš
elative	sospäi	soišpäi
illative	soho	soihe
adessive	sol	soil
ablative	solpäi	soilpäi
allative	sole	soile
abessive	sota	soita
comitative	sonke	soidenke
prolative	sodme	soidme
approximative I	sonno	soidenno
approximative II	sonnoks	soidennoks
egressive	sonnopäi	soidennopäi
terminative I	sohosai	soihesai
terminative II	solesai	soilesai
terminative III	sossai	—
additive I	sohopäi	soihepäi
additive II	solepäi	soilepäi

• sohein
• sokesk

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “болото”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[19], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [sɔ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂɔ˧˧] ~ [sɔ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʂɔ˧˧] ~ [sɔ˧˧]

so • (𬧺, 𢫘, 𨋤, 𲄴, 芻, 㗙, 搊, 𨎆, 樞, 摳, 粗, 嚧)

1. (transitive) to compare

   Synonym: so sánh

   So với bạn thì nó cao hơn. ― Compared to his friend, he is taller.

2. (transitive) to pair up

   so đũa ― to pair up chopsticks

3. (intransitive) to straighten one's shoulders, as if to compare one's height to another's

• sánh

Compare sơ (初, “first”).

so

1. firstborn

   con so ― firstborn child

   chửa con so ― to be pregnant for the first time

   trứng gà so ― a chicken's first egg (usually a small egg)

• con so

so (classifier con)

1. mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda)

• sam

so

1. so

• IPA^(key): /soː/
• Rhymes: -oː

so (not mutable)

1. (South Wales) inflection of bod:
   1. second/third-person singular present negative colloquial
   2. first/second/third-person plural present negative colloquial

   So fe’n credu.

   He doesn’t think so.

Unlike other negative verb forms, this form—and sa, which is used for the first-person singular—is not complemented by ddim after the subject.

-so

1. Combining stem of sona.

-so

1. Combining stem of sona.