Etymologically
Log in

solicitor

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the English word solicitor

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1412–1420 Lydgate, Troy Book
Borrowed from
Old French soliciteur via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin sollicitus

Pronunciation

  • UK: /səˈlɪsɪtə/, /səˈlɪstə/[1]
  • US: /səˈlɪsɪtɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English solicitour,[2][3] borrowed from Old French soliciteur, also soliciteor,[4][5][2] the agent noun of soliciter (“to disturb; to solicit; to take care of”), the source of solicit.[3][6][5] In Middle French it meant a prompter, an agent or an advocate.[3][6] The French verb is from Latin sollicitō (“to disturb, agitate; to entreat”),[6][5] from sollicitus (“anxious, troubled”), also the source of solicitous.[6] Etymonline divides the adjective into sollus (“whole, entire”) and citus (“aroused, set in motion”), the past participle of cieō (“to set in motion”).[5] The Shorter Oxford compares Late Latin sollicitator.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who urges or prompts others to act, a prime mover: 1412–20, in Lydgate's Troy Book, where Hercules is the chief "solicytour" of a journey.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English the word also meant an agent or representative managing matters for someone else (from about 1425) and an official looking after the king's interests (1460).[4][2][5] From this came the legal senses: a senior law officer representing the Crown is recorded from 1533, in an act of Henry VIII, and the solicitor as a particular branch of the legal profession from the 1570s in Etymonline, 1584 in the OED.[4][5] Other senses grew from the verb solicit: a petitioner or intercessor (1551), and a tempter (1593–1655).[4] Johnson (1755) gave "one who petitions for another" as the first sense, quoting Othello.[8] The feminine forms solicitress (1630s) and solicitrix (1610s) were both used of women who lured others to immorality.[5] In 19th-century underworld slang a solicitor was a silk handkerchief.[9]

Timeline

  • 1412–20 – a person who urges others to act (obsolete by 1722).[4]
  • c. 1425 – an agent or representative (obsolete by 1741).[4][2]
  • 1460 – an official responsible for the king's interests.[4]
  • 1533 – a senior law officer of the Crown.[4]
  • 1551 – a petitioner or intercessor.[4]
  • 1570s – a member of a branch of the legal profession.[5]
  • 1593 – a person or thing that tempts (obsolete by 1655).[4]
  • 1888 – underworld slang, a silk handkerchief.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (in Britain and some other countries) A lawyer who advises clients, draws up legal documents, prepares cases for barristers and may represent clients in the lower courts.[10][11][4]
  2. (US) An officer in charge of the legal business of a city, town or county.[10][11]
  3. A person who solicits, especially one who seeks business, trade, subscriptions or contributions: No solicitors on a door sign.[3][11][10]
  4. (obsolete) A person who urges or prompts others to act; an instigator.[4][2]
  5. (obsolete) An agent or representative acting for another.[4][2]

Word family

  • solicitorship
  • solicitor general
  • solicit
  • solicitous
  • solicitude

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories notes that in the United States attorney and lawyer are used interchangeably, while in England one speaks of a solicitor, who advises clients and represents them in the lower courts, and a barrister, who is qualified to plead in the higher courts.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  9. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  10. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  11. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Solicitor.” Etymologically, 25 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/solicitor. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·