Social

How to spell social

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce social

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does social mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to society, to the way people interact, or to friendly activities involving other people.
2. nounAn informal gathering or party organised by a group or club.

Social in a sentence

• adjective

  The report examined the social effects of long-term unemployment.

• noun

  The tennis club holds a summer social every July.

• adjective

  He found the office party a useful social occasion for meeting colleagues.

• noun

  She baked a tray of brownies for the church social.

Where does social come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin socius, which literally meant 'companion', 'ally', or 'partner', someone you join with. From it came the adjective socialis, meaning 'belonging to companionship' or 'sociable', describing the bonds that hold people together. English took the word in during the 1500s, at first to describe people who were friendly and enjoyed company, and only later broadening it to mean anything relating to society and the way people live together in groups. The same socius root sits inside several common relatives, including 'associate', 'society', and even 'soccer' (a clipping of 'association football'). Because the middle is pronounced as a soft 'shul', the spelling trap is the unstressed '-cial' ending, which sounds nothing like it looks.

How the word is built

• soci- (from Latin socius: companion, ally)
• -al (adjective/noun suffix)