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Wiktionary The Free Dictionary

solicit

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English soliciten , solliciten , from Old French soliciter , solliciter , borrowed from 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

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Verb

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solicit (third-person singular simple present solicits , present participle soliciting , simple past and past participle solicited )

  1. (transitive ) To persistently endeavor to obtain an object, or bring about an event.
    Synonyms: supplicate , thig
    Coordinate terms: pester , beg , agitate
    to solicit alms, or a favour
  2. (transitive ) To woo; to court.
    Synonyms: address , romance
    • 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.
  3. (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.
  4. (transitive ) To offer to perform sexual activity, especially when for a payment.
    My girlfriend tried to solicit me for sex, but I was tired.
  5. To make a petition.
    Synonyms: appeal , petition , request
  6. (archaic , transitive ) To disturb or trouble; to harass.
  7. (transitive ) To urge the claims of; to plead; to act as solicitor for or with reference to.
    Synonym: plead
  8. (obsolete , rare , transitive ) To disturb; to disquiet.
    Synonym: worry

Derived terms

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Translations

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to persistently endeavor
to woo; to court
to persuade or incite
to offer to perform sexual activity, especially when for a payment
to make a petition
(obsolete, rare in English) to disturb or trouble; to harass

Further reading

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Noun

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solicit (plural solicits )

  1. (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

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