The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 1577
Sodium amalgam , an alloy of sodium and mercury, usually produced as a gray metallic crystalline substance, which is used as a reducing agent, and otherwise. -- Sodium bicarbonate , a white crystalline substance, HNaCO3 , with a slight alkaline taste resembling that of sodium carbonate. It is found in many mineral springs and also produced artificially,. It is used in cookery, in baking powders, and as a source of carbonic acid gas (carbon dioxide) for soda water. Called also cooking soda , saleratus , and technically, acid sodium carbonate , primary sodium carbonate , sodium dicarbonate , etc. -- Sodium carbonate , a white crystalline substance, Na2CO3.10H2O , having a cooling alkaline taste, found in the ashes of many plants, and produced artifically in large quantities from common salt. It is used in making soap, glass, paper, etc., and as alkaline agent in many chemical industries. Called also sal soda , washing soda , or soda . Cf. Sodium bicarbonate , above and Trona . Sodium chloride , common, or table, salt, NaCl . -- Sodium hydroxide , a white opaque brittle solid, NaOH , having a fibrous structure, produced by the action of quicklime, or of calcium hydrate (milk of lime), on sodium carbonate. It is a strong alkali, and is used in the manufacture of soap, in making wood pulp for paper, etc. Called also sodium hydrate , and caustic soda . By extension, a solution of sodium hydroxide.
Sodomite <Xpage=1366>
Sod"om*ite (?) , n. 1. An inhabitant of Sodom.
2. One guilty of sodomy.
Sodomitical <Xpage=1366>
Sod`om*it"ic*al (?) , a. Pertaining to, or of the nature of, sodomy. -- Sod`om*it"ic*al*ly , adv.
Sodomy <Xpage=1366>
Sod"om*y (?) , n. [From Sodom . a country mentioned in the Bible: cf. F. sodomite .] Carnal copulation in a manner against nature; buggery.
Gen. xix. 5. <-- can we be more explicit? -->
Soe <Xpage=1366>
Soe (?) , n. [Scot. sae , say , saye ; cf. Icel. s\'ber a large cask, Sw. s<?/ a tub.] A large wooden vessel for holding water; a cowl. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
Dr. H. More.
Soever <Xpage=1366>
So*ev"er (?) . A word compounded of so and ever , used in composition with who , what , where , when , how , etc., and indicating any out of all possible or supposable persons, things, places, times, ways, etc. It is sometimes used separate from the pronoun or adverb.
For unto whom soever much is given, of him shall be much required. Luke xii. 48.
What great thing soever a man proposed to do in his life, he should think of achieving it by fifty. Sir W. Temple.
Sofa <Xpage=1366>
So"fa (?) , n. ; pl. Sofas (#) . [Ar. soffah , from saffa to dispose in order: cf. F. sofa , It. sof\'85 .] A long seat, usually with a cushioned bottom, back, and ends; -- much used as a comfortable piece of furniture.
Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round. Cowper.
Sofa bed , a sofa so contrived that it may be extended to form a bed; -- called also sofa bedstead .
Soffit <Xpage=1366>
Sof"fit (?) , n. [It. soffitta , soffitto , fr. soffiggere to hide, properly, to fix or fasten under, L. suffigere to fasten beneath or below; sub under, beneath + figere to fix, faste: cf. F. soffite .] (Arch.) The under side of the subordinate parts and members of buildings, such as staircases, entablatures, archways, cornices, or the like. See Illust . of Lintel .
Sofi <Xpage=1366>
So"fi (?) , n. ; pl. Sofis (<?/) . Same as Sufi .
Sofism <Xpage=1366>
So"fism (?) , n. Same as Sufism .
Soft <Xpage=1366>
Soft (?) , a. [ Compar. Softer (?) ; superl. Softest .] [OE. softe , AS. s<?/fte , properly adv. of s<?/fte , adj.; akin to OS. s\'befto , adv., D. zacht , OHG. samfto , adv., semfti , adj., G. sanft , LG. sacht ; of uncertain origin.] 1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also, malleable; -- opposed to hard ; as, a soft bed; a soft peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal.
2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth; delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin.
They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses. Matt. xi. 8.
3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines . "The soft , delicious air."
Milton.
4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent contrast; as, soft hues or tints .
The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds . . . made the softest lights imaginable. Sir T. Browne.
5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music .
Her voice was ever soft , Gentle, and low, -- an excellent thing in woman. Shak.
Soft were my numbers; who could take offense? Pope.
6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible; gentle; kind.
I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's; Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. Shak.
The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. Tyndale.
7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes .
A soft answer turneth away wrath. Prov. xv. 1.
A face with gladness overspread, Soft smiles, by human kindness bred. Wordsworth.
8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft , and wandering. Jer. Taylor.
9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
On her soft axle, white she paces even, And bears thee soft with the smooth air along. Milton.
10. Weak in character; impressible.
The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's. Glanvill.
11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloq.]
He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as were foolish quite mad. Burton.
12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers .
13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines .
14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap; as, soft water is the best for washing .
15. (Phonetics) (a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental consonant (as g in gem , c in cent , etc.) as distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go , c in cone , etc.); -- opposed to hard . (b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as distinguished from the surd, and considered as involving less force in utterance; as, b , d , g , z , v , etc. , in contrast with p , t , k , s , f , etc.
Soft clam (Zo\'94l.) , the common or long clam ( Mya arenaria ). See Mya . -- Soft coal , bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracite , or hard, coal . -- Soft crab (Zo\'94l.) , any crab which has recently shed its shell. -- Soft dorsal (Zo\'94l.) , the posterior part of the dorsal fin of fishes when supported by soft rays. -- Soft grass . (Bot.) See Velvet grass . -- Soft money , paper money, as distinguished from coin , or hard money . [Colloq. U.S.] -- Soft mute . (Phonetics) See Media . -- Soft palate . See the Note under Palate . -- Soft ray (Zo\'94l.) , a fin ray which is articulated and usually branched. -- Soft soap . See under Soap . -- Soft-tack , leavened bread, as distinguished from hard-tack , or ship bread . -- Soft tortoise (Zo\'94l.) , any river tortoise of the genus Trionyx. See Trionyx .
Soft <Xpage=1366>
Soft (?) , n. A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [Colloq.]
G. Eliot.
Soft <Xpage=1366>
Soft , adv. Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
Chaucer.
A knight soft riding toward them. Spenser.
Soft <Xpage=1366>
Soft , interj. Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast. <-- archaic or obs. -->
Soft , you; a word or two before you go. Shak.
Softa <Xpage=1366>
Sof"ta (?) , n. [Corruption of Per. s<?/khtah one who burns, is ardent or zealous.] Any one attached to a Mohammedan mosque, esp. a student of the higher branches of theology in a mosque school. [Written also sophta .]
Soften <Xpage=1366>
Sof"ten (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Softened (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Softening .] To make soft or more soft. Specifically: --
(a) To render less hard; -- said of matter .
Their arrow's point they soften in the flame. Gay.
(b) To mollify; to make less fierce or intractable .
Diffidence conciliates the proud, and softens the severe. Rambler.
(c) To palliate; to represent as less enormous; as, to soften a fault .
(d) To compose; to mitigate; to assuage .
Music can soften pain to ease. Pope.
(e) To make calm and placid.
All that cheers or softens life. Pope.
(f) To make less harsh, less rude, less offensive, or less violent, or to render of an opposite quality .
He bore his great commision in his look, But tempered awe, and softened all he spoke. Dryden.
(g) To make less glaring; to tone down; as, to soften the coloring of a picture .
(h) To make tender; to make effeminate; to enervate; as, troops softened by luxury . <-- weaken -->
(i) To make less harsh or grating, or of a quality the opposite; as, to soften the voice .
Soften <Xpage=1366>
Sof"ten , v. i. To become soft or softened, or less rude, harsh, severe, or obdurate.
Softener <Xpage=1366>
Sof"ten*er (?) , n. One who, or that which, softens. [Written also, less properly, softner.]
<-- Water softener, a device which exchanges sodium ions for polyvalent metal cations in water, thus converting the "hard" mineral-containing water into "soft" water. This treatment renders the water more usable for washing, as the polyvalent cations interfere with the detergent action of soaps. -->
Softening <Xpage=1366>
Sof"ten*ing , a. & n. from Soften , v.
Softening of the brain , ∨ Cerebral softening (Med.) , a localized softening of the brain substance, due to hemorrhage or inflammation. Three varieties, distinguished by their color and representing different stages of the morbid process, are known respectively as red , yellow , and white , softening .
Soft-finned <Xpage=1366>
Soft"-finned` (?) , a. (Zo\'94l.) Having the fin rays cartilaginous or flexible; without spines; -- said of certain fishes.
Soft-headed <Xpage=1366>
Soft"-head`ed (?) , a. Weak in intellect.
Soft-hearted <Xpage=1366>
Soft"-heart`ed (?) , a. Having softness or tenderness of heart; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection; gentle; meek. -- Soft"-heart`ed*ness , n.
Softish <Xpage=1366>
Soft"ish (?) , a. Somewhat soft.
De Witt Clinton.
Softling <Xpage=1366>
Soft"ling (?) , n. A soft, effeminate person; a voluptuary. [R.]
Bp. Woolton. .
Softly <Xpage=1366>
Soft"ly , adv. In a soft manner.
Softner <Xpage=1366>
Soft"ner (?) , n. See Softener .
Softness <Xpage=1366>
Soft"ness (?) , n. [AS. s<?/ftness , s<?/ftnyss .] The quality or state of being soft; -- opposed to hardness , and used in the various specific senses of the adjective.
Soft-shell, Soft-shelled <Xpage=1366>
Soft"-shell` (?) , Soft"-shelled` (?) , a. Having a soft or fragile shell.
Soft-shell clam (Zo\'94l.) , the long clam. See Mya . -- Soft-shelled crab . (Zo\'94l.) See the Note under Crab , 1. -- Soft-shelled turtle . (Zo\'94l.) Same as Soft tortoise , under Soft .
Soft-spoken <Xpage=1366>
Soft"-spo`ken (?) , a. Speaking softly; having a mild or gentle voice; hence, mild; affable.
Sogginess <Xpage=1366>
Sog"gi*ness (?) , n. The quality or state of being soggy; soddenness; wetness.
Soggy <Xpage=1366>
Sog"gy (?) , a. [ Compar. Soggier (?) ; superl. Soggiest .] [Cf. Icel. s\'94ggr damp, wet, or E. soak .] Filled with water; soft with moisture; sodden; soaked; wet; as, soggy land or timber .
Soho <Xpage=1366>
So*ho" (?) , interj. Ho; -- a word used in calling from a distant place; a sportsman's halloo.
Shak.
Soi-disant <Xpage=1366>
Soi`-di`sant" (?) , a. [F.] Calling himself; self-styled; pretended; would-be.
Soil <Xpage=1366>
Soil (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Soiled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Soiling .] [OF. saoler , saouler , to satiate, F. so\'96ler , L. satullare , fr. satullus , dim. of satur sated. See Satire .] To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an inclosure, with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (such food having the effect of purging them), to purge by feeding on green food; as, to soil a horse .
Soil <Xpage=1366>
Soil , n. [OE. soile , F. sol , fr. L. solum bottom, soil; but the word has probably been influenced in form by soil a miry place. Cf. Saloon , Soil a miry place, Sole of the foot.] 1. The upper stratum of the earth; the mold, or that compound substance which furnishes nutriment to plants, or which is particularly adapted to support and nourish them.
2. Land; country.
Must I thus leave thee, Paradise? thus leave Thee, native soil ? Milton.
3. Dung; f\'91ces; compost; manure; as, night soil .
Improve land by dung and other sort of soils . Mortimer.
Soil pipe , a pipe or drain for carrying off night soil.
Soil <Xpage=1366>
Soil , v. t. To enrich with soil or muck; to manure.
Men . . . soil their ground, not that they love the dirt, but that they expect a crop. South.
Soil <Xpage=1366>
Soil , n. [OF. soil , souil , F. souille , from OF. soillier , F. souiller . See Soil to make dirty.] A marshy or miry place to which a hunted boar resorts for refuge; hence, a wet place, stream, or tract of water, sought for by other game, as deer.
As deer, being stuck, fly through many soils , Yet still the shaft sticks fast. Marston.
To take soil , to run into the mire or water; hence, to take refuge or shelter.
O, sir, have you taken soil here? It is well a man may reach you after three hours' running. B. Jonson.
Soil <Xpage=1366>
Soil , v. t. [OE. soilen , OF. soillier , F. souiller , (assumed) LL. suculare , fr. L. sucula a little pig, dim. of sus a swine. See Sow , n. ] 1. To make dirty or unclean on the surface; to foul; to dirty; to defile; as, to soil a garment with dust .
Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained. Milton.
2. To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully.
Shak.
Syn. -- To foul; dirt; dirty; begrime; bemire; bespatter; besmear; daub; bedaub; stain; tarnish; sully; defile; pollute.
Soil <Xpage=1366>
Soil , v. i. To become soiled; as, light colors soil sooner than dark ones .
Soil <Xpage=1366>
Soil , n. [See Soil to make dirty, Soil a miry place.] That which soils or pollutes; a soiled place; spot; stain.
A lady's honor . . . will not bear a soil . Dryden.
Soiliness <Xpage=1366>
Soil"i*ness (?) , n. Stain; foulness. [R.]
Bacon.
Soilless <Xpage=1366>
Soil"less , a. Destitute of soil or mold.
Soilure <Xpage=1366>
Soil"ure (?) , n. [OF. soillure , F. souillure . See Soil to make dirty.] Stain; pollution.
Shak.
Then fearing rust or soilure , fashioned for it A case of silk. Tennyson.
Soily <Xpage=1366>
Soil"y (?) , a. Dirty; soiled. [Obs.]
Fuller.
Soiree <Xpage=1366>
Soi`ree" (?) , n. [F., fr. soir evening, fr. L. serus late, serum late time. Cf. Serenade .] An evening party; -- distinguished from levee , and matin\'82e .
Soja <Xpage=1366>
So"ja (s&omac;"j&adot; ∨ s&omac;"y&adot;) , n. (Bot.) An Asiatic leguminous herb ( Glycine Soja ) the seeds of which are used in preparing the sauce called soy . <-- also soya. The beans are called soy beans. -->
Sojourn <Xpage=1366>
So"journ (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Sojourned (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Sojourning .] [OE. sojornen , sojournen , OF. sojorner , sejorner , F. s\'82journer , fr. L. sub under, about + diurnus belonging to the day. See Journal , Diurnal .] To dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a temporary resident or as a stranger, not considering the place as a permanent habitation; to delay; to tarry.
Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there. Gen. xii. 30.
Home he goeth, he might not longer sojourn . Chaucer.
The soldiers first assembled at Newcastle, and there sojourned three days. Hayward.
Sojourn <Xpage=1366>
So"journ , n. [Cf. OF. sujurn , sujur , sejor , F. s\'82jour . See Sojourn , v. i. ] A temporary residence, as that of a traveler in a foreign land.
Though long detained In that obscure sojourn . Milton.
Sojourner <Xpage=1366>
So"journ*er (?) , n. One who sojourns.
We are strangers before thee, and sojourners . 1. Chron. xxix. 15.
Sojourning <Xpage=1366>
So"journ*ing , n. The act or state of one who sojourns.
Sojournment <Xpage=1366>
So"journ*ment (?) , n. Temporary residence, as that of a stranger or a traveler. [R.]
Soke <Xpage=1366>