SOS

See also: sos, S.O.S., so's, sós, sôs, søs, Søs, and šos
🆘 U+1F198, 🆘
SQUARED SOS
← 🆗
[U+1F197] 		Enclosed Alphanumeric Supplement 🆙 →
[U+1F199]

Translingual

Etymology

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

See also

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK) 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)

  1. The conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress.
    The keel has been scuppered — send out an SOS.
See also

Etymology 2

Noun

SOS

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

Etymology 3

Noun

SOS (plural SOSes)

  1. (games) A children's game involving placing S's and O's on a grid, and collecting points by creating an "SOS" sequence, played with alternating turns by opponents.
See also

Anagrams

Japanese

Etymology

Borrowed from English SOS.

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) エスオ​ーエス [èsúóꜜòèsù] (Nakadaka – [3])[1]
  • (Tokyo) エスオーエ​ス [èsúóóéꜜsù] (Nakadaka – [5])[1]
  • IPA(key): [e̞sɨᵝo̞ːe̞sɨᵝ]

Noun

SOS (katakana エスオーエス, rōmaji 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SOS (エスオーエス)
    kasei kara no esuōesu
    an SOS from Mars
  3. silicon on sapphire

References

  1. 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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