Sod

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /sÉ’d/

Definitions

  1. A piece of earth with grass and roots cut from the ground ; a term used to insult someone regarded as unpleasant or annoying ; an informal word for a man, especially a friend or companion
  2. A layer of soil and grass removed for laying or repair work ; a slang insult suggesting an objectionable or disliked individual ; a casual term for a male acquaintance or buddy
  3. A section of turf that can be transplanted to cover land ; a derogatory label for a disagreeable or detestable person ; a familiar way to refer to a male peer or mate

Etymology: The noun "sod" for a block of grass and earth is a word that English shares with its Dutch, German and Frisian relatives, all of which mean "turf". Its earliest English form, "sodde", appears in the mid-15th century, and the root behind it is of uncertain ultimate origin, so there is no clear ancestor to trace beyond the Germanic languages. The noun's most surprising neighbour is a word that has nothing to do with grass. "Sod" was also used as a slang term for "sodomite" or as a short form of "sodomize", a connection that has given a plain agricultural word an unsavoury second life in dictionaries of insults. The two senses share only a spelling; they are unrelated in origin. Readers may also meet "sod" as a past tense or participle, which is a different matter. The verb's past form, "sod", appears in English as the Old English plural past tense of "seethe", and the spelling was also reached from the past participle "sodden", meaning boiled or soaked.

Synonyms: turf, grass, lawn