# SOS
## Translingual
### Pronunciation

* English: (US) IPA: [ɛs.oʊˈʔɛs]

### Etymology 1

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
* 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

* CQD
* mayday

#### See also

* pan-pan

### Etymology 2
#### Symbol

SOS
* (international standards) ISO 4217 currency code for the Somali shilling.

## English
### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˌɛs.əʊˈɛs/
* (US) IPA: /ˌɛs.oʊˈɛs/

### 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 or SOSes)
* The conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress.
    The crew sent a frantic SOS as they realised the scale of the disaster.
** 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:"Look at wireless. Look at the S. O. S. call at sea. Is that not a benefit to mankind?"
** 2016 August 11, “Chinese fishing boat collides with Greek freighter near Senkakus, 6 rescued”, in The Mainichi‎, archived from the original on 2016-08-12‎:At around 5:30 a.m., crewmembers of a JCG patrol boat received an SOS from the 106,726-ton freighter Anangel Courage. The patrol vessel and a JCG plane found the freighter on the high seas about 67 kilometers away from Uotsuri Island, one of the Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China.

##### See also

* mayday
* pan-pan

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

SOS
* Initialism of Secretary of State.
* Initialism of special order sale.

#### Phrase

SOS
* (colloquial) Initialism of slip on show: a warning to a woman that the underwear she has on can be seen.

### Etymology 3
#### Noun

SOS (uncountable)
* (games) A children's game in which players take turns to place S's and O's on a grid, collecting points by creating an "SOS" sequence.

##### See also

* tic tac toe

### Etymology 4
#### Noun

SOS (uncountable)
* Initialism of shit on a shingle.

### Etymology 5
#### Phrase

SOS
* (Commonwealth, military, historical) Initialism of struck off strength or stricken off strength.
    Antonym: TOS

##### Usage notes

* Only used with the past participle, chiefly in historical military records.

### Anagrams

* 'oss, OSS, OSs, SSO, oss

## Japanese
### Etymology

Borrowed from English SOS.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) エスオーエス [èsúóꜜòèsù] (Nakadaka – [3])
* (Tokyo) エスオーエス [èsúóóéꜜsù] (Nakadaka – [5])
* IPA: [e̞sɨo̞ːe̞sɨ]

### Noun

S(エス)O(オー)S(エス) • (esuōesu)
* SOS (conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress)
* (by extension) the state of being sought an emergency rescue
    火(か)星(せい)からのS(エス)O(オー)S(エス)
       Kasei kara no esuōesu
       an SOS from Mars
* silicon on sapphire

### References

* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Swedish
### Etymology 1

Internationalism. Ultimately from the fact that its morse code is easy to remember. First attested in 1923.

#### Alternative forms

* S.O.S.

#### Noun

SOS ?
* SOS, international telegraphic distress signal

##### Derived terms

* SOS-nummer (“emergency number”)
* SOS-signal (“SOS signal”)

### Etymology 2

Initialism of smör, ost, sill (“butter, cheese, herring”). Probably humorous in origin, most likely from the distress signal of the same name.

#### Alternative forms

* S.O.S.

#### Noun

SOS ?
* A traditional appetizer consisting of butter, cheese, and herring; a smaller version of the brännvinsbord.

##### Derived terms

* SOS-tallrik (“butter, cheese and herring plate”)

### Etymology 3

Abbreviation of Sveriges officiella statistik (“Sweden's official statistic”).

#### Noun

SOS ?
* a particular collection of systems and processes that produce official statistics about Sweden

### Etymology 4

Abbreviation of Södersjukhuset.

#### Noun

SOS ?
* Misspelling of SÖS, largest hospital in Stockholm, Sweden

### Anagrams

* oss

### References

* ↑ SOS in Svensk ordbok (SO)