sole1
/səʊl
/noun
1The undersurface of a person’s foot: the soles of their feet were nearly black with dirt...
- Melanomas commonly appear on these ‘non-sun exposed’ parts of the body, like the back of the legs, the soles of the feet and the buttocks.
- Two days later we had to drag him cross-country in a train as the pox blossomed in his mouth, eyes, nose, even the soles of his feet, making it impossible to walk.
- These commonly arise in areas of the body not much exposed to the sun, such as the back of the legs, soles of the feet, scalp and buttocks.
1.1The section forming the underside of a piece of footwear (typically excluding the heel when this forms a distinct part): the join between the upper and the sole there was mud caked between the heel and the sole...
- Opt for a pair with a bit of a heel, and leather soles.
- Besides his exquisitely tooled creations, he is credited with having invented the platform sole and wedge heel, which have had a recent comeback in fashion.
- Made from premium leather, they feature a lightly-padded footbed and a flexible sole for added walking comfort.
1.2The part of the undersurface of a person’s foot between the toes and the instep: a big blister on each heel and sole...
- The heel is usually small and is internally rotated, making the soles of the feet face each other in cases of bilateral deformities.
- But for me, this is the best part of the whole exercise, as firm fingers and thumbs work around the ankles, under the soles of the feet, between toes and over the instep.
- Warts on the soles of the feet are called plantar warts.
1.3The undersurface of a tool or implement such as a plane or the head of a golf club.Ted also pointed out that a plane with a rabbeted sole would not be suitable for cutting tenons for post and beam construction, as I suggested....
- Allow the sole of the sand wedge to do what it is designed to do - slide under the ball and propel it out on a cushion of sand.
- I need the sole of the sand wedge to help me slide through the grass and the loft to get it up.
1.4The floor of a ship’s cabin or cockpit.The cabin sole to deckhead height, at the aft end of the cabin, is less than four feet and there is sitting headroom over the bunks....
- To their credit the builders have used bulkheads that are watertight between the hull and cabin soles to divide the boat into three separate compartments.
- The hull is fitted with a structural fiberglass liner that incorporates the cabin sole as well as berth and furniture foundations.
verb [with object]
Put a new sole on to (a shoe): he wanted several pairs of boots to be soled and heeled...
- I had my favourite boots soled and heeled for half the price of a London cobbler.
- A regular but infrequent 'chore' was taking boots and shoes to the cobbler to be soled and heeled.
- One day a man was seen bringing a pair of shoes to the cobbler to be soled.
Derivatives
soled
/ adjective [in combination]: rubber-soled shoes
Origin
Middle English: from Old French, from Latin solea 'sandal, sill', from solum 'bottom, pavement, sole'; compare with Dutch zool and German Sohle.
There are three different words ‘sole’ in English. The two nouns are connected: the word for the under part of the foot comes via French from Latin solea ‘sandal, sill’, from solum ‘ground, sole’. The word was re-borrowed for the flat-fish, because its shape is reminiscent of a sole. The adjective for ‘only’ comes from Latin solus ‘alone’, source of solitary (Middle English), desolate (Late Middle English), and the musical solo (late 17th century). Solitaire (early 18th century), both the single stone in its setting and the card game played by yourself, comes from the same source.
Rhymes
sole2
/səʊl/noun (plural same)
A marine flatfish of almost worldwide distribution, important as a food fish.
- Several species in the families Soleidae, Pleuronectidae, and Bothidae. See Dover sole, lemon sole.
- The advice given is that there should be zero fishing for cod, whiting, haddock, plaice, sole and prawns in the Irish Sea.
- Thornback and blond rays are most often seen, with brill, plaice, sole, flounder and even turbot on occasion.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French, from Provençal sola, from Latin solea (see sole1), named from its shape.
sole3
/səʊl/adjective
1 [attributive] One and only: my sole aim was to contribute to the national team...
- World Heart Day is a global initiative with the sole aim of raising awareness about heart health and is being supported by the World Heart Federation.
- Designated a protected area in 1941, the reserve was created with the sole aim of preserving the coastal sea and earth ecosystems.
- Fifteen-year-old James began race walking at 11 with the sole aim of representing his county in Mosney.
Synonyms
only, one (and only), single, solitary, lone, unique, only possible, individual, exclusive, singular
1.1Belonging or restricted to one person or group of people: the health club is for the sole use of our guests...
- Chosen charities are given free stand space and joint sole rights to collect money from the 80,000 people who attend the show.
- Courts rarely grant sole custody or even joint physical custody to fathers, and standard visitation is just a few days a month.
- It all began because she had separated from her husband last October and he had moved out of the family home, and she had started claiming housing benefit and opened up a new council tax account in her sole name.
2 archaic (Especially of a woman) unmarried.
2.1Alone; unaccompanied.
Origin
Late Middle English (also in the senses 'secluded' and 'unrivalled'): from Old French soule, from Latin sola, feminine of solus 'alone'.
Sole4
/səʊl/A shipping forecast area in the NE Atlantic, covering the western approaches to the English Channel.
- water room
- water rot
- watersail
- water salamander
- water sand
- water sapphire
- waterscape
- water scorpion
- water scorpion-grass
- water-screw
- water seal
- water serpent
- Waters, Ethel
- water shaft
- watershed
- water shelf
- water shield
- water ship
- water shoot
- water shrew
- water shrimp
- water shute
- water sickness
- waterside
- watersider