SOS

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Translingual

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Chosen because its Morse code sequence (...---...) was easy to remember and recognize even through interference. Many mnemonics and backronyms were later formed from the sequence.

Symbol

SOS

  1. emergency, mayday, distress
Usage notes

The code SOS is normally only used in text transmission; for voice communication, mayday is used. The sequence is normally transmitted run together without any letter spacing in between, so it is technically a single unique code rather than a series of three letters.

Synonyms

See also

Etymology 2

Symbol

SOS

  1. (international standards) ISO 4217 currency code for the Somali shilling.

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

From the letters represented by the signal, chosen as a sequence that is easy to recall and transmit (· · · — — — · · ·); it is not, as is commonly believed, an abbreviation for "save our souls", "save our ship", or any other phrase.

Noun

SOS (plural SOS's or SOSes)

  1. The conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress.
    The crew sent a frantic SOS as they realised the scale of the disaster.
See also

Etymology 2

Noun

SOS

  1. Initialism of Secretary of State.
  2. Initialism of special order sale.

Phrase

SOS

  1. (colloquial) Initialism of slip on show: a warning to a woman that the underwear she has on can be seen.

Etymology 3

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Noun

SOS (uncountable)

  1. (games) A children's game in which players take turns to place S's and O's on a grid, collecting points by creating an "SOS" sequence.
See also

Etymology 4

Noun

SOS (uncountable)

  1. Initialism of shit on a shingle.

Etymology 5

Phrase

SOS

  1. (Commonwealth, military, historical) Initialism of struck off strength or stricken off strength.
    Antonym: TOS
Usage notes
  • Only used with the past participle, chiefly in historical military records.

Anagrams

Japanese

 SOS on Japanese Wikipedia

Etymology

Borrowed from English SOS.

Pronunciation

Noun

S(エス)O(オー)S(エス) (esuōesu

  1. SOS (conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress)
  2. (by extension) the state of being sought an emergency rescue
    ()(せい)からのS(エス)O(オー)S(エス)
    Kasei kara no esuōesu
    an SOS from Mars
  3. silicon on sapphire

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Swedish

Etymology 1

Internationalism. Ultimately from the fact that its morse code is easy to remember. First attested in 1923.[1]

Alternative forms

Noun

SOS ?

  1. SOS, international telegraphic distress signal
Derived terms

Etymology 2

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
Butter, cheese, and herring

Initialism of smör, ost, sill (butter, cheese, herring). Probably humorous in origin, most likely from the distress signal of the same name.

Alternative forms

Noun

SOS ?

  1. A traditional appetizer consisting of butter, cheese, and herring; a smaller version of the brännvinsbord.
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of Sveriges officiella statistik (Sweden's official statistic).

Noun

SOS ?

  1. a particular collection of systems and processes that produce official statistics about Sweden

Etymology 4

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Abbreviation of Södersjukhuset.

Noun

SOS ?

  1. Misspelling of SÖS, largest hospital in Stockholm, Sweden

Anagrams

References