2. Habitual freedom from enthusiasm, inordinate passion, or overheated imagination; calmness; coolness; gravity; seriousness; as, the sobriety of riper years. Mirth makes them not mad, Nor sobriety sad. Denham.
Syn. — Soberness; temperance; abstinence; abstemiousness; moderation; regularity; steadness; calmness; coolness; sober-mindeness; sedateness; staidness; gravity; seriousness; solemnity.
SOBRIQUET So`bri`quet" (so`bre`kay"), n.Etym: [F. sobriquet, OF. soubzbriquet, soubriquet, a chuck under the chin, hence, an affront, a nickname; of uncertain origin; cf. It. sottobecco a chuck under the chin.]
Defn: An assumed name; a fanciful epithet or appellation; a nickname.
[Sometimes less correctly written soubriquet.]
SOC Soc (sôk), n. Etym: [AS. s the power of holding court, sway, domain, properly, the right of investigating or seeking; akin to E. sake, seek. Sake, Seek, and cf. Sac, and Soke.] [Written also sock, and soke.]
1. (O. Eng. Law) (a) The lord's power or privilege of holding a court in a district, as in manor or lordship; jurisdiction of causes, and the limits of that jurisdiction. (b) Liberty or privilege of tenants excused from customary burdens.
2. An exclusive privilege formerly claimed by millers of grrinding all the corn used within the manor or township which the mill stands. [Eng.] Soc and sac (O. Eng. Law), the full right of administering justice in a manor or lordship.
SOCAGE
Soc"age, n.Etym: [From Soc; cf. LL. socagium.] (O.Eng. Law)
Defn: A tenure of lands and tenements by a certain or determinate service; a tenure distinct from chivalry or knight's service, in which the obligations were uncertain. The service must be certain, in order to be denominated socage, as to hold by fealty and twenty shillings rent. [Written also soccage.]
Note: Socage is of two kinds; free socage, where the services are not only certain, but honorable; and villein socage, where the services, though certain, are of a baser nature. Blackstone.