sop
noun/sɒp/
/sɑːp/
[usually singular]- sop (to somebody/something) a small, not very important, thing that is offered to somebody who is angry or disappointed in order to make them feel better
- The move was seen as another sop to the moderates in the party.
Word OriginOld English soppian ‘dip (bread) in liquid’, sopp (noun), probably from the base of Old English sūpan ‘sup’. The current sense (mid 17th cent.) alludes to the sop used by Aeneas on his visit to Hades to appease Cerberus in Greek mythology.Want to learn more?
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