Sold

See also: sold and șold

German

Etymology

From Middle High German solt, from Old French solt, from Latin solidus (“a Roman gold coin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɔlt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: sollt

Noun

Sold m (strong, genitive Soldes or Solds, plural Solde)

1. (military, loosely or historical) any pay or salary of a soldier

   Schon am Zahltag hatte der junge Husarenkorporal seinen ganzen Wochensold versoffen.

   Already on payday the young hussar corporal had spent his entire weekly pay on drink.

2. (military, Germany) the daily basic pay of a soldier who serves less than two years, including (until 2011) conscripts as well as those rendering the substitute service (Zivildienst)
3. (loosely) Short for Besoldung (“kind of salary for soldiers and civil servants”).
4. (figurative) pay, payroll, reward

   Er ist ein schamloser Lobbyist im Sold der Wirtschafts- und Finanzelite.

   He is a shameless lobbiyst on the payroll of the economic and financial elite.

Declension

Declension of Sold [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Sold	die	Solde
genitive	eines	des	Soldes, Solds	der	Solde
dative	einem	dem	Sold, Solde1	den	Solden
accusative	einen	den	Sold	die	Solde

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• besolden
• Ehrensold
• Söldling
• Söldner
• Soldstufe
• Wehrsold

Further reading

• “Sold” in Duden online
• “Sold” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache