SOS

See also: sos, S.O.S., so's, sós, sôs, søs, Søs, and šos

Translingual

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. (radio slang) 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

• mayday

See also

• pan-pan

Etymology 2

Symbol

SOS

1. Somali shilling

Usage notes

This is a currency code used in the ISO 4217 standard.

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English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛs.əʊˌɛs/

Etymology 1

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 keel has been scuppered! Send out an SOS.

See also

• mayday
• pan-pan

Etymology 2

Noun

SOS

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

Etymology 3

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

• tic tac toe

Anagrams

• 'oss, OSS, OSs, SSO, oss

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Japanese

Etymology

Borrowed from English SOS.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) エスオーエス [èsúóꜜòèsù] (Nakadaka – [3])
• (Tokyo) エスオーエス [èsúóóéꜜsù] (Nakadaka – [5])
• IPA^(key): [e̞sɨo̞ːe̞sɨ]

Noun

SOS(エスオーエス) • (esuōesu) 

1. SOS (conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress)
2. (by extension) the state of being sought an emergency rescue

   火(か)星(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