Do you know the definition of sop? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word sop, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Collins English Dictionary, American Heritage, and the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word sop can be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, sop (pl. sops) is something that is given to a person that is small or unimportant, that is used to pacify the person or prevent them from causing trouble or getting angry. In American English, it also refers to a piece of food soaked in a liquid, like bread soaked in milk or gravy, or a bribe. As an intr. verb, the word sop means to absorb, dip, soak, saturate or steep with liquid. The pronunciation of sop is sɒp.
According to The Free Dictionary, SOP is also an acronym with a plethora of different definitions. If you decide to use one of these SOP abbreviations, make sure that your provide the reader or listener with the proper context so that they can discern the correct meaning. This should be done with any acronym or abbreviation that has more than one potential definition.
Sum of Products (Boolean expressions and logic gates)
Síndrome del Ovario Poliquistico (medical)
School Organisation Plan (UK education)
Stupid Operating Procedures
Study Organization Plan
Super-Operator (IRC channels)
State Of Play
Ship Operational Program
Super Operator
Subsystem Operating Program (NASA, CEV Space Capsule)
Sense of Place
Service Orthodoxe de Presse
Senior Outreach Program (various locations)
Statement Of Position
Société Odontologique de Paris (French: Paris Odontology Society)
Solid Object Printing
Space Operations Squadron (USAF)
Special Operations Program
Syndicat des Opérateurs Postaux (French: Union of Postal Operators)
Start Of Production (automobile industry)
Starfire Optical Range
Son of Perdition (Christianity)
Service Oriented Programming (AMIS)
Small Outline Package
Streaked Optical Pyrometry
Standard of Practice
State of Practice (various organizations)
Service Object Pair
Survey of Pakistan (est. 1947)
Separation of Powers
Site Operating Plan
State Operating Permit (various locations)
Standing Operating Procedure
Sobrang Ok Pare (Philippine TV program)
Shoot-Out Points (hockey standings)
School of Pharmacy
Scope of Practice (EMS)
System Operating Process
Sulfate of Potash (potassium sulfate)
Segment Originators PLA (Plain Language Address)
String of Purls (blog and shop; Omaha, NE)
Subject Oriented Programming
Spawn of Possession (band)
Server Operator
Safe Operating Procedure
Summary of Progress (education; various locations)
Standard Operating Power
System Operations Panel
Street Opening Permit (various locations)
Stock Option Plan
System.out.println (Java)
State of the Parks Report (Canada)
Standard of Perfection (American Poultry Association)
Sprint Online Presenter
Solder on Pad (semiconductor process)
Sorted Office Paper
Service Order Processing
Start of Packet
Start of Project
Sales Operation Planning
Setting Out Point (construction)
Subject-Oriented Programming
Sisters of Providence (various locations)
Statement of Participation
Standards of Payments
Senza Obbligo di Prescrizione (Italian: Over The Counter)
Standard Operating Platform (Best Buy)
System Optimization Plan
Standard Operational Procedure
Science Operations Plan
Secure Online Payment
Signal Output Port (computing)
Son of Peter (band)
Seal Oil Pump
Seeds of Peace
Security Operating Procedures
Stuck Open
Secondary Oxygen Pack (US NASA)
Source Open Failure Mode
Standards of Participation (California)
Security of Payments
Southern Pines, NC, USA – Pinehurst (Airport Code)
Same Origin Policy (browser model)
Standard Operating Procedure (usually in reference to an educator’s standard operating procedure)
Service Oriented Process
Safe Operating Practice
Sequential Ordering Problem
Support Oriented Processes (quality management)
Sexual Offender Program
Space-based Observation Panel
Senior Officer Present
Stock Ownership Plan (various organizations)
Statement of Principle (various locations)
Service Object Pair (digital imaging)
Sons of the Patriots (gaming clan)
System Operating Procedures
Streaming Over P2P (Peer to Peer)
State of Polarization
Sub Operator
Stochastic Orthogonal Polynomial (mathematics)
School of Psychology
Student Orientation Program (various schools)
Special Order Parts (materials procurement)
Sum of the Parts (financial valuation method)
Standards of Performance
Sales Order Processing
What is the origin of the word sop?
According to Etymonline, the word sop (sɑːp) comes from the Old English sopp, which referred to bread soaked in some liquid. This comes from the Old english soppecuppe, which was a cup into which sops were put. This was a staple of medieval cuisine in the 18th century. This comes from the Proto-Germanic supp, which is related to the Old English verb suppan and sup. These were reinforced by the Old French soupe, which gave us the English soup.This is likely related to the Old High German sopfa milk, the Old Norse soppa soup, the Dutch sop, and others. Using the word sop to refer to something given to appease comes from the 1660s and is a reference to the sops given by the Sibyl to Cerberus in the Aeneid and Aeneas. One can add the suffixes ed, y, and ing to make the different tenses of the verb sop in sopped and sopping, or soppy (adj.)
Overall, the word sop refers to smaller pieces or a piece of solid food that is dipped into a liquid food, sauces, or anything of a liquid consistency like a piece of bread into broth at diners, or toast into french onion soup at elaborate feasts. As a verb, the word sop means to pour liquid or absorb. SOP is also a shorthand for many different things – one should use the full meaning of SOPs since there are so many definitions.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.