sole
sole Lexical Profile
sole Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Being the only one of its kind; single and exclusive.
"She was the sole survivor of the mountaineering expedition."
Belonging or restricted to one person, group, or entity alone; not shared with others.
"The author retains the sole rights to adapt the novel into a screenplay."
• noun
The underside or plantar surface of the human foot, excluding the heel in strict anatomical usage.
"Walking barefoot across the hot sand burned the soles of his feet."
The bottom part of a shoe, boot, or other piece of footwear that comes into direct contact with the ground.
"These hiking boots feature thick rubber soles designed for traction on wet rocks."
The mild, delicate white flesh of a marine flatfish of the family Soleidae, widely prized as a culinary seafood dish.
"For the main course, the chef prepared pan-seared Dover sole with lemon and capers."
Any of various marine flatfishes of the family Soleidae, inhabiting temperate and tropical ocean floors and characterized by an elongated, oval body with both eyes situated on the right side.
"The camouflaged sole lay nearly invisible against the sandy seabed."
The flat underside or base of a tool, implement, or mechanical part, such as the bottom plate of a woodworking plane or the head of a golf club.
"The carpenter waxed the sole of his hand plane so it would glide smoothly over the oak board."
• verb
To furnish or repair a shoe or boot with a new bottom layer.
"The cobbler soled my leather dress shoes so they would last another winter."
To rest the flat bottom of a golf club head directly on the ground behind the ball when addressing a shot.
"Players are penalized if they sole their club inside a sand bunker before making a swing."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently confused with its homophone 'soul' (the spiritual or immaterial part of a person). As an adjective meaning 'only' or 'exclusive', 'sole' is used exclusively in the attributive position before a noun (e.g., 'the sole survivor') and never predicatively.
• Rhymes for sole
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The adjective meaning 'single' comes via Old French from the Latin 'solus' (alone). The nouns referring to the underside of the foot and the flatfish derive via Old French from the Latin 'solea' (sandal, bottom of a shoe, or flatfish, so named for its flat, shoe-like shape).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.