solid English · revision 3760

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1391, Chaucer|origins=ine-pro *sol-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈsɒl.ɪd/, US /ˈsɑː.lɪd/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|solide]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|fro|solide|t=firm, dense, compact]], and directly [[der|la|solidus|t=firm, whole, entire]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) figuratively “sound, genuine”,^(Etymonline) from a suffixed form of [[ine-pro|*sol-|t=whole]].^(Etymonline) Latin solidus is related to [[m|la|salvus|t=safe]] and [[m|la|sollus|t=whole]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998) and Merriam-Webster compares Greek holos “entire”.^(MWU 2024) It is related to [[safe]], [[solder]] and [[soldier]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Not hollow, free from empty spaces: 1391, in Chaucer's ''Treatise on the Astrolabe'',^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) the late 14th century in Etymonline, also of three-dimensional figures.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ “Firm, hard, compact” is from the 1530s,^(Etymonline) or about 1532 in Barnhart,^(Barnhart 1988) and “firm, strong, substantial” from 1586.^(Barnhart 1988) Of qualities, “well-established”, it is from about 1600, and of food from about 1700.^(Etymonline) “Entirely of the same stuff” is from 1710.^(Etymonline) As an intensifier, “thoroughly”, it is from 1830, and the slang sense “wonderful” is recorded among jazz musicians by 1920.^(Etymonline) The sense of unanimity in voting, as a ''solid'' state, is from 1855.^(Etymonline) The noun, a three-dimensional figure, is from before 1398;^(Barnhart 1988) a solid substance, as opposed to a fluid, is from 1698.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) ''Solid state'' in physics is from 1953, and of electronics using transistors rather than valves from 1959.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1391 – not hollow, in Chaucer.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1398 – noun, a three-dimensional body.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1530s – hard, compact.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1586 – substantial.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1698 – a solid substance.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1710 – of the same material throughout.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1799 – ''solidify''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1920 – wonderful, in jazz slang.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1953 – ''solid state''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Having a definite shape and volume; not [[liquid]] or [[gas|alt=gaseous]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Firm and compact; not hollow.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Of the same substance or colour throughout: ''solid gold''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Having three dimensions.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Strongly built; [[sturdy]] and reliable.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Unbroken; continuous: ''two solid hours''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Unanimous: ''a solid vote''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A substance that is neither liquid nor gas.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A [[geometry|alt=geometric]] figure with three dimensions.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[solidly]]

+ * [[solidness]]

+ * [[half-solid]]

+ * [[solidity]]

+ * [[solid-state]]

+ * [[nonsolid]]

+ * [[semisolid]]

+ * [[solidungulate]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[solidarity]]

+ * [[solidify]]

+ * [[solidus]]

+ * [[consolidate]]

+ * [[safe]]

+ * [[solder]]

+ * [[soldier]]

+ * [[salvage]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}