solicit
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English soliciten, solliciten, from Old French soliciter, solliciter, from the present active participle of Latin sollicitō (“stir, disturb; look after”), from sollicitus (“agitated, anxious, punctilious”, literally “thoroughly moved”), from sollus (“whole, entire”) + perfect passive participle of cieō (“shake, excite, cite, to put in motion”).
Pronunciation
[edit]- enPR: sə-lĭs'ĭt, IPA(key): /səˈlɪsɪt/
Audio (US): (file) Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪsɪt
Verb
[edit]solicit (third-person singular simple present solicits, present participle soliciting, simple past and past participle solicited)
- (transitive) To persistently endeavor to obtain an object, or bring about an event.
- to solicit alms, or a favour
- Synonyms: supplicate, thig
- 1717, Alexander Pope, “Eloisa to Abelard”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC:
- I view my crime, but kindle at the view, / Repent old pleasures, and solicit new.
Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?
- (transitive) To woo; to court.
- 1960 November, David Morgan, “"Piggyback"—U.S. success story”, in Trains Illustrated, page 683:
- American railroads are not permitted to operate long-haul road routes, but the I.C.C. decision of 1954 did permit them to solicit trailer business in, say, New York for Chicago provided the trailer was piggybacked in between.
- (transitive) To persuade or incite one to commit some act, especially illegal or sexual behavior.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- That fruit […] sollicited her longing eye.
- 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:, Book II, Chapter 1
- Sounds and some tangible qualities fail not to solicit their proper senses, and force an entrance to the mind.
- If you want to lose your virginity, you should try to solicit some fine looking women.
- (transitive) To offer to perform sexual activity, especially when for a payment.
- My girlfriend tried to solicit me for sex, but I was tired.
- To make a petition.
- (archaic, transitive) To disturb or trouble; to harass.
- (transitive) To urge the claims of; to plead; to act as solicitor for or with reference to.
- Synonym: plead
- 1628, John Ford, The Lover's Melancholy:
- Should / My brother henceforth study to forget / The vow that he hath made thee, I would ever / Solicit thy deserts.
- (obsolete, rare, transitive) To disturb; to disquiet.
- Synonym: worry
- 1611-1615, George Chapman, Iliad, Book XVI
- Hath any ill solicited thine ears?
- 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 3:
- But anxious fears solicit my weak breast.
Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]to persistently endeavor
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to woo; to court
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to persuade or incite
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to offer to perform sexual activity, especially when for a payment
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to make a petition
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(obsolete, rare in English) to disturb or trouble; to harass
Further reading
[edit]- “solicit”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “solicit”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Noun
[edit]solicit (plural solicits)
- (chiefly archaic) Solicitation.
- 2017, Lia Litosseliti, Research Methods in Linguistics, page 19:
- (1) How many male or female students are named (or otherwise identified) in the context of a solicit?
(2) How many words of a solicit are directed to a particular student?
Anagrams
[edit]Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *solh₂-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɪsɪt
- Rhymes:English/ɪsɪt/3 syllables
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with archaic senses
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English terms with rare senses
- English nouns
- English countable nouns