n. [ OE. sop, soppe; akin to AS. s&unr_;pan to sup, to sip, to drink, D. sop sop, G. suppe soup, Icel. soppa sop. See Sup, v. t., and cf. Soup. ] 1. Anything steeped, or dipped and softened, in any liquid; especially, something dipped in broth or liquid food, and intended to be eaten. [ 1913 Webster ]

He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. John xiii. 26. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sops in wine, quantity, inebriate more than wine itself. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bounded waters
Should lift their bosoms higher than the shores,
And make a sop of all this solid globe. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything given to pacify; -- so called from the sop given to Cerberus, as related in mythology. [ 1913 Webster ]

All nature is cured with a sop. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A thing of little or no value. [ Obs. ] P. Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sops in wine (Bot.), an old name of the clove pink, alluding to its having been used to flavor wine. [ 1913 Webster ] Garlands of roses and sops in wine. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ] --
Sops of wine (Bot.), an old European variety of apple, of a yellow and red color, shading to deep red; -- called also sopsavine, and red shropsavine. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Sopped p. pr. & vb. n. Sopping. ] To steep or dip in any liquid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Soap. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Amer. Colleges) A contraction of Sophomore. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Eng. Univ.) A contraction of Soph ister. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Sophis See Sufi. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; wise, &unr_; wisdom. ] Teaching wisdom. [ Obs. ] S. Harris. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. soffime, sophisme. ] Sophism. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I trow ye study aboute some sophime. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. sophisme, L. sophisma, fr. Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to make wise, &unr_; to be become wise, to play the sophist, fr. &unr_; wise. ] The doctrine or mode of reasoning practiced by a sophist; hence, any fallacy designed to deceive. [ 1913 Webster ]

When a false argument puts on the appearance of a true one, then it is properly called a sophism, or “fallacy”. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let us first rid ourselves of sophisms, those of depraved men, and those of heartless philosophers. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. sophiste, L. sophistes, fr. Gr. &unr_;. See Sophism. ] 1. One of a class of men who taught eloquence, philosophy, and politics in ancient Greece; especially, one of those who, by their fallacious but plausible reasoning, puzzled inquirers after truth, weakened the faith of the people, and drew upon themselves general hatred and contempt. [ 1913 Webster ]

Many of the Sophists doubdtless card not for truth or morality, and merely professed to teach how to make the worse appear the better reason; but there scems no reason to hold that they were a special class, teaching special opinions; even Socrates and Plato were sometimes styled Sophists. Liddell & Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence, an impostor in argument; a captious or fallacious reasoner. [ 1913 Webster ]