soule

See also: Soule, soulé, soulè, soûle, and soûlé

English

Noun

soule (plural soules)

1. Obsolete spelling of soul.
   • 1638, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Cure of Deſpaire by Phyſick, good counſell, comforts, &c.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy. […], 5th edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed [by Robert Young, Miles Flesher, and Leonard Lichfield and William Turner] for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 3, section 4, member 3, subsection 6, page 707:

     His mercy is a panacea, a balſome for an afflicted ſoule, a Soveraigne medicine, an alexipharmacum for all ſinne, a charme for the Divell, his mercy was great to Solomon, to Manaſſes, to Peter, great to all offenders, and whoſoever thou art, it may be ſo to thee.

Anagrams

• Eolus, Seoul, eusol, loues, louse, oules, ousel

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ul

Verb

soule

1. inflection of souler:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• loues, loués
• Séoul

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English sāwol, sāwel, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwalu, from Proto-Germanic *saiwalō. The final vowel is generalised from the Old English oblique forms.

Alternative forms

• saul, saule, souel, soul, soull, soulle, sowel, sowele, sowle, sowll, sowyl
• sauele, sawlæ, sawle, sæule (Early Middle English)
• sauel, saull, saulle, sawel, sawele, sawell, sawil, sawle (Northern)
• zaule (Kent)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔu̯l(ə)/
• (early or Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈsɑu̯l(ə)/

Noun

soule (plural soules or soulen or (early) soule)

1. A soul or spirit; an animating force:
   1. The human soul (seen as granting sapience and surviving after death).
   2. The (characteristic) soul of animals or plants.
   3. (alchemy) A refined animating substance akin to the soul.
2. Life, energy; earthly existence.
3. (biblical) A person or human being.
4. The mind or heart; one's capacity for thought or emotion.
5. One's intent or goal; that which one wants.

Usage notes

• Often found in contrast or combination with body or flesch.

Derived terms

• soule-hele

Descendants

• English: soul (see there for further descendants)
• Scots: saul

References

• “soul(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

soule

1. Alternative form of sowel (“food”)

References

• “sǒuel, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

Noun

soule

1. Alternative form of sowel (“staff, stake”)

References

• “souel, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.