What does sot mean?
Sot chiefly denotes a person who habitually drinks alcohol excessively. It is a blunt and generally disparaging word, stronger and less clinical than “alcoholic” or “drunkard,” and it often appears in literary portrayals of drinking, ruin, and social disgrace. In older usage, “sot” could instead refer to a foolish or perverse person, so context is important when reading early texts. The related verb “to sot” is rare or obsolete and means to make drunk or stupefy; modern speakers are much more likely to encounter the noun. The word’s history reflects its older association with foolishness: it descends from an Old English term for a foolish person, while its established sense as a habitual heavy drinker developed later. Thus, “sot” is useful not only as a vivid label for someone whose drinking dominates their life but also as an example of how a word’s social and literary associations can be as important as its basic dictionary meaning. In careful contemporary prose, a more specific expression may sound less insulting, depending on the intended tone.
A person who habitually drinks alcohol excessively; in older or literary use, a foolish or perverse person.
"The novel portrays him as a sot whose debts eventually ruin his family."
The sense meaning a habitual heavy drinker is disparaging. The broader sense meaning a foolish or perverse person is archaic or literary.
To make drunk or stupefy.
"The liquor was strong enough to sot the horses."
Rare and usually obsolete; it is chiefly found in older writing.
The plural is regular and is used in the same way as the singular noun.
"The village sots were tolerated by the innkeeper but disliked by their families."
The word's journey from “foolish person” to “habitual drunkard” shows how association can reshape a word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sot come from?
The word comes through Middle English from Old English sott, originally meaning a foolish or perverse person. Its established modern association with habitual drunkenness developed during the early modern period. The precise ultimate origin of the Old English form is uncertain, although it is commonly connected with Germanic vocabulary for foolishness.
Related word forms
How sot is actually used
The noun is generally disparaging and often literary or old-fashioned. The verb is rare or obsolete and is more likely to occur in older writing.
Easily confused with sot
A sot is a habitual heavy drinker, whereas a sod is, among its several meanings, a piece of turf and is sometimes used as an insult.