SOS

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Translingual

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Pronunciation

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  • English: (US) IPA(key): [ɛs.oʊˈʔɛs]

Etymology 1

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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

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SOS

  1. emergency, mayday, distress
Usage notes
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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
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See also

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Etymology 2

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Symbol

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SOS

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

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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

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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.
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Etymology 2

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Noun

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SOS

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

Phrase

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SOS

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

Etymology 3

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Noun

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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.
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Etymology 4

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Noun

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SOS (uncountable)

  1. Initialism of shit on a shingle.

Etymology 5

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Phrase

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SOS

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

Anagrams

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Japanese

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 SOS on Japanese Wikipedia

Etymology

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Borrowed from English SOS.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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

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

Swedish

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Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

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Noun

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SOS ?

  1. SOS, international telegraphic distress signal
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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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

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Noun

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SOS ?

  1. A traditional appetizer consisting of butter, cheese, and herring; a smaller version of the brännvinsbord.
Derived terms
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Etymology 3

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

Noun

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SOS ?

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

Etymology 4

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Abbreviation of Södersjukhuset.

Noun

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SOS ?

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

Anagrams

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References

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