| 1. | in the way or manner indicated, described, or implied: Do it so. |
| 2. | in that or this manner or fashion; thus: So it turned out. |
| 3. | in the aforesaid state or condition: It is broken and has long been so. |
| 4. | to the extent or degree indicated or suggested: Do not walk so fast. |
| 5. | Informal. very or extremely: I'm so sad. |
| 6. | very greatly: My head aches so! |
| 7. | (used before an adverb or an adverbial clause and fol. by as) to such a degree or extent: so far as I know. |
| 8. | having the purpose of: a speech so commemorating the victory. |
| 9. | for this or that reason; hence; therefore: She is ill, and so cannot come to the party. |
| 10. | (used as an affirmative to emphasize or confirm a previous statement) most certainly: I said I would come, and so I will. |
| 11. | (used as an emphatic affirmative to contradict a previous statement) indeed; truly; too: I was so at the party! |
| 12. | likewise or correspondingly; also; too: If he is going, then so am I. |
| 13. | in such manner as to follow or result from: As he learned, so did he teach. |
| 14. | in the way that follows; in this way: The audience was seated, and so the famous speech began. |
| 15. | in the way that precedes; in that way: So ended the speech, and the listeners arose and cheered. |
| 16. | in such way as to end in: So live your life that old age will bring you no regrets. |
| 17. | then; subsequently: and so to bed. |
| 18. | in order that (often fol. by that): Check carefully, so any mistakes will be caught. |
| 19. | with the result that (often fol. by that): He checked carefully, so that the mistakes were caught. |
| 20. | on the condition that; if. |
| 21. | such as has been stated: to be good and stay so. |
| 22. | something that is about or near the persons or things in question, as in number or amount: Of the original twelve, five or so remain. |
| 23. | (used as an exclamation of surprise, shock, discovery, inquiry, indifference, etc., according to the manner of utterance.) |
| 24. | true as stated or reported; conforming with reality or the fact: Say it isn't so. |
| 25. | only or just so many, being a limited or small number or amount: I can eat only so many pieces of fruit. |
| 26. | only or just so much, being a limited amount or quantity; up to a certain point or maximum: I can eat only so much fruit; just so much that one can do in such a case. |
| 27. | so as,
|
| 28. | so much,
|
| 29. | so much as, even: He doesn't so much as say hello to me. |
| 30. | so to speak. speak (def. 22). |
| 31. | so what? what (def. 25). |

so
|
"The adverb so at the beginning of a sentence ('So I'll pay for it!'), probably of Yiddish origin, occurs frequently in conversation." [M.Pei, "Story of English," 1952]
Soest
city, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies on the fertile Soester Plain (Soester Borde) in the Hellweg region, which extends south from the Lippe River, east of Dortmund. Although excavations have shown there to have been a settlement on the site since Roman times, it was first mentioned in 836 (as Sosat). Its 12th-century charter and municipal code (Soester Recht, Soester Schrae) served as models for many old German communities. It was associated with the archbishopric of Cologne until 1449, and it became an important Hanseatic League town.
Learn more about Soest with a free trial on Britannica.com.