solace(SAH lis) n. 1. an easing of loneliness, grief, or discomfort; 2. comfort;
relief —vt.1. to comfort; console; 2. to give relief
- Company is always a solaceto someone feeling lonely.
- One who grieves for a loved one often takes solacein remembering only
the good things about the departed. - Volunteers often work to solacethose confined to hospital beds.
[Syn. comfort]
solicitude(suh LIS it ood) n. the state of showing care, concern, etc., some-
times to excess - Marjorie offered her solicitudefor her neighbor, whose son and daughter
had both shipped out with their military units. - Marjorie accepted Sally’s solicitudepolitely, but after Sally left, Marjorie
mumbled to herself that she wished everyone would leave her alone so
that she could get some rest.
[Syn. care]
solidify(suh LID i fy) vt. 1. to unite or firm up (a relationship); 2. to make a
liquid into a solid; firm; compact; harden - Going to the ballpark together often helps to solidifya relationship
between father and son. - A mother-daughter relationship is traditionally solidifiedby baking cookies.
(Eat your heart out, Murphy Brown!) - At 0° Celsius, water solidifiesand becomes ice.
- Tamping down the gravel helps to solidifythe base for a patio.
[solidified, -ing]
soluble(SAHL yoo bil) adj. 1. capable of being dissolved (passed into solution)
in water; 2. capable of being solved - Sugar and salt are both easily soluble,while flour is not.
- New York Timescrossword puzzles are definitely soluble,although they get
harder as the week goes on, and Saturday’s puzzle is a real brainteaser.
[solubly adv.] [Syn. dissolvable, solvable]
somber*(SAHM bir) adj. 1. dark and gloomy; dull; 2. melancholy; mentally
depressed; 3. grave - When JFK was shot, the mood of the country was very somber.
- Veronica was somber,reflecting on how much she missed not having been
invited to the senior dance.
•A somberair pervaded the landing craft’s occupants as it approached the
beach on D-Day.
[-ly adv.]
sonnet(SAHN it) n. a poem, usually 14 lines in length in iambic pentameter,
generally on a single theme - Shakespeare was noted for his sonnetsin addition to his dramatic writings.
- The sonnetsof Petrarch (1304–1374) are among the earliest known.
- Both Robert Browning and his future wife, Elizabeth Barrett, wrote sonnets
to each other.
214 Essential Vocabulary