soar

From Middle English soren, from Old French essorer (“to fly up, soar”), from Vulgar Latin *exaurare (“to rise into the air”), from Latin ex (“out”) + aura (“the air, a breeze”), from Ancient Greek αὔρα (aúra, “breath”). Compare aura, and exhale.

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sô, IPA^(key): /sɔː/
• (General American) enPR: sôr, IPA^(key): /sɔɹ/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) enPR: sōr, IPA^(key): /so(ː)ɹ/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /soə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)
• Homophones: sore; saw (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger); sower (rare pronunciation)

soar (third-person singular simple present soars, present participle soaring, simple past and past participle soared)

1. (intransitive) To fly high with little effort, like a bird.
   • 1812, Lord Byron, “Canto I”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: Printed for John Murray, ; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, , →OCLC, stanza LII, page 34:

     When soars Gaul's Vulture, with his wings unfurl'd,

2. To mount upward on wings, or as on wings, especially by gliding while employing rising air currents.
3. To remain aloft by means of a glider or other unpowered aircraft.
4. To rise, especially rapidly or unusually high.

   The pump prices soared into new heights as the strike continued.

   • 2021 June 30, David Clough, “Brush: a UK rail icon”, in RAIL, number 934, page 57:

     A planning document produced in October 1984 said that Class 46 maintenance costs were soaring and rapid withdrawal would occur, and this came to pass by the end of the year.

5. (figuratively) To rise in thought, spirits, or imagination; to be exalted in mood.
   • 1626 (date written), John Milton, “At a Vacation Exercise in the Colledge, ”, in Poems, &c. upon Several Occasions, London: Tho Dring , published 1673, →OCLC, page 65:

     Such where the deep tranſported mind may ſoare / Above the wheeling poles,

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. , London: J Tonson, , published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 4:

     Valour soars above What the world calls misfortune.

   • 1988 March 21, Vaughn Armstrong, Heart of Glory (Star Trek: The Next Generation) (Science Fiction), Paramount Domestic Television, →OCLC:

     KORRIS: I have tasted your heart. You have been with them, but you are still "of" us. Do not deny the challenge of your destiny. Get off your knees and soar. Open your eyes and let the dream take flight.

• self-soar

soar (plural soars)

1. The act of soaring.
   • c. 1810-1820, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Notes on Jeremy Taylor

     this apparent soar of the hooded falcon

2. An upward flight.

• “soar”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

• aros, AROs, ROSA, oars, SORA, rosa, ORSA, Roas, AORs, Orsa, Rosa, ROAS, Raos, ORAS, oras, Sora, sora, osar, Raso, AoRs

From Old Galician-Portuguese sõar, from Latin sonāre.

• IPA^(key): /soˈaɾ/

soar (first-person singular present soo, first-person singular preterite soei, past participle soado)

1. to sound, to ring
   • 1370, R. Lorenzo, editor, Crónica troiana, A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 400:

     tãger boziñas et ssoar tronpas et anafíjs

     to play conchs and to sound horns and bugles

2. to be heard
   • 1295, R. Lorenzo, editor, La traducción gallega de la Crónica General y de la Crónica de Castilla, Ourense: I.E.O.P.F., page 646:

     Et começoullj a dizer que tã grande era a numeada que del oya et o prez d'ar(ar)mas et os bõos feytos que soarã delle en terra d'Outra mar

     And he began to tell him how great was the reputation that he heard, and of the feats of war and the good deeds that were heard about him in Outremer

3. to ring a bell

   −Coñécelo? −Non me soa.

   −Do you know him? −No, he doesn't ring a bell. (Lit. "He doesn't sound (to me)"

soar m (plural soares)

1. sound
   • 1370, R. Lorenzo, editor, Crónica troiana, A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 605:

     Et alí oyriades a uolta et os braados tã grandes, et o rreuoluer et o bolir tã grande, et o soar dos cornos et dos anafíjs, que esto era hũa grã marauilla.

     And being there you would hear the racket and the very high voices, and the uproar and restlessness, and the sound of the horns and of the bugles, and all of this was a great wonder

• resoar
• son
• sona

Attested since the 13th century. From proto-Galician *solar, from Latin solum. Compare Spanish solar.

• IPA^(key): /soˈaɾ/

soar m (plural soares)

1. building land, plot, site

   Synonyms: formal, terreo

   • 1290, M. Lucas Álvarez, P. Lucas Domínguez, editors, El monasterio de San Clodio do Ribeiro en la Edad Media: estudio y documentos, Sada / A Coruña: Edicións do Castro, page 415:

     Et damos a uos vn soar en que façades huna casa logo

     And we give you a plot for you to build a house promptly

• soarego

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “soar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “soar”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “soar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “soar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “soar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

soar m (genitive singular , plural )

1. smell

soar (verbal noun soaral or soarey or soaraghey)

1. to smell

From Old Galician-Portuguese sõar, from Latin sonāre.

• Homophone: suar (Portugal)
• Hyphenation: so‧ar

soar (first-person singular present soo, first-person singular preterite soei, past participle soado)

1. make a sound

   A corda da guitarra soa desafinada. ― The guitar string sounds out of tune.

   • 1913, Fernando Pessoa, Ó sino da minha aldeia:

     Ó sino da minha aldeia, / Dolente na tarde calma, / Cada tua badalada / Soa dentro da minha alma.

     Oh bell of my village, / Lazy in this peaceful afternoon, / Each one of your tollings / Resounds in my soul.

2. to look; to seem; to appear

Borrowed from French soir (“evening”).

• IPA^(key): /soˈaɾ/

soar (nominative plural soars)

1. evening

• soarajul
• zälasoar