Forms: α. 4–5 soudur, 5 -ure, -our, sowdur, -owre; 4–5 soudre, 5–6 souder, 5–7 (9 dial.) sowder (5 -ere, 6 soweder); 9 dial. sowther. β. 5 sawdur, -yr, 6 -yer; 5 sawd(e)re, 6 sawder (7 -ter), 6–7 saudre, 7 sauder. γ. 6–8 soder (7 soader, sodar), 7– sodder; 6 sother, 7 soather. δ. 5 souldour, 6–7 soulder (6 sowl-). ε. 7 soldure, 7– solder. [a. OF. soud-, saud-, soldure (cf. It. saldatura), f. souder, etc., SOLD v.2]
1. A fusible metallic alloy used for uniting metal surfaces or parts.
Various kinds are distinguished by specific names, as hard, soft (see sense 4), white, copper, gold, silver, pewterer’s, plumber’s solder.
α. 1374. Durh. Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 581. In stangno emp. pro soudur, vi.s.
c. 1400. York Minster Fabric Rolls (Surtees), 20. Et in iij dos’ tyn emptis pro soudre, viii. s. viii. d.
c. 1485. E. E. Misc. (Warton Cl.), 82. To make sowder of tynne.
1513. Douglas, Æneid, VIII. vii. 140. Thai mydlit and thai mixt this feirful souder.
1547. in J. R. Boyle, Hedon (1875), App. 137. To the plomer for xxx. lb. of soweder.
1603. Vestry Bks. (Surtees), 52. For five pounde and a half of sowder to mende the leads.
1829. Brockett, N. C. Gloss. (ed. 2), Sowther, solder.
β. 1466. Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.), 323. Item, for ij. li. saw[d]ere, xij. d.
1492–3. Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905), 187. For a ll. di. of sawdyr to sowdyr þe same pype, xij d.
1539–40. in Devon N. & Q., Oct. (1903), 238. Payed for xv. li. of sawdyer for the worke, v. s.
1566. in Peacock, Eng. Ch. Furniture (1866), 141. An old crwet whearof was made sawder for the glass windowes.
1602. Shuttleworths’ Acc. (Chetham), 143. To the plumber, for xx pound of pewter to be sawter,… xs.
1667. Primatt, City & C. Builder, 70. Sawder is about eight pence or nine pence a pound.
γ. 1575. Gascoigne, Wks. (1587), 308. When cutlers … hide no crackes with soder nor deceit.
1576. Act 18 Eliz., c. 15. No Goldsmith … shall … use noe Sother … more then ys necessarie.
1612. Sturtevant, Metallica (1854), 36. All compounded mettles of the same kind, as, Pewters, Belmettles, Sodars.
1637. in Parish Bks. St. Julians, Shrewsbury, I. 27 (MS.). Received for 9 lbs. of Sodder, 3s.
1660. Boyle, New Exp. Phys.-Mech., xx. 146. We caus’d a skilful Pewterer … to close it up … with Soder.
1726. Leoni, Alberti’s Archit., II. 17 b. The cramps … must be fastened into the sheets with hot sodder.
1750. Blanckley, Naval Expos., 155. Sodder, used by the Plumber for soddering of Pipes.
δ. 1428. Engl. Misc. (Surtees), 1. Þat nane of þat crafte wirke any lede amang other metaill, bot yf yt be in souldour.
1530. Palsgr., 725. I sowder a metall with sowlder. je soulde.
1574. in Feuillerat, Revels Q. Eliz. (1908), 242. For Leade and sowlder with woorkmanshipp.
1611. Cotgr., Souldure,… the knot of soulder which fastens the lead of a glasse window.
1685. Boyle, Effects of Motion, viii. 99. A gaping crack, which he was fain to fill up with soulder.
ε. 1724. Swift, Prometheus, Wks. 1751, III. II. 150. Goldsmiths say, the coarsest stuff Will serve for solder well enough.
1756. C. Lucas, Ess. Waters, I. 50. This faith-worthy philosopher … assured himself … by … closing it well with solder.
1812. Sir H. Davy, Chem. Philos., 400. Lead is used as an ingredient in various solders.
1843. Holtzapffel, Turning, I. 432. The solders must be necessarily somewhat more fusible than the metals to be joined.
1873. E. Spon, Workshop Rec., Ser. I. 364/2. The solder will run into the places which have been touched by the spirit of salt.
2. transf. Any binding or uniting substance. rare.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, etc. (Arb.), 136. Theare chariots doe trauayle … By reason of the riuer knit with a frostye soder.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 699. The limestone which is the very soader and binder of all morter.
3. fig. A quality, principle, etc., that unites in any way; a bond or means of union.
γ. 1599. Sandys, Europæ Spec. (1632), 45. This [being] the end of strifes particular, this the soder of publike peace.
1638. Chillingw., Relig. Prot., I. iii. § 43. 151. I am at my wits end … to find some glue, or sodder,… to tye this antecedent and this consequent together.
1662. Hibbert, Body of Divinity, II. 149. The ground or band of the union, the sodder that knit them together, grace perceived.
ε. 1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. xiv. § 38. 757/2. Money the Cement and soldure of all such actions,… vtterly fayles.
1649. G. Daniel, Trinarch., Hen. IV., cccxviii. This Prodigie to Sence, when Elements (The Solder of the World) combat themselues.
1742. R. Blair, Grave, 89. Friendship!… Sweetener of life, and solder of society!
1863. Tyndall, Heat, i. 8. Illustrating a principle which forms the very solder of Nature.
4. Soft solder: a. A common kind of solder, usually made from tin and lead.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., III. 1. Sodered verie close with safte Soder.
1771. Encycl. Brit., III. 616/2. Take silver, five penny-weight; brass, four penny-weight; melt them together for soft solder, which runs soonest.
1823. P. Nicholson, Pract. Build., 406. The solder generally made use of by the plumber is called soft solder.
1843. Holtzapffel, Turning, I. 434. The soft-solder mostly used, is 2 parts tin and 1 part lead.
1858. Greener, Gunnery, 207. More than five thousand pairs of barrels made and put together with soft solder only.
b. Flattery; = Soft sawder (see SAWDER sb.).
1848. Lowell, Biglow P., Ser. I. Wks. (1884), 226. The people [get] their annooal soft-sodder an’ taxes.
1863. Reade, Very Hard Cash, xliii. She … sent in a note explaining who she was, with a bit of soft solder.
1869. Pall Mall Gaz., 20 Sept., 3/2. It is so evident … that a square-jawed ruffian with a brow like a bulldog’s will yield like a cherub to soft-solder and coaxing.
5. [From the vb.] An act of soldering.
1733. Cheyne, Eng. Malady, I. x. (1734), 96–7. A Tinker can mend a Hole in a Brass Pot … by a Soder or Patch.
6. attrib. and Comb. (see quots.).
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Solder-manufacturer, a maker of cement for metals.
1873. Richards, Operator’s Handbk., 123. For solder joints the silver solder of jewellers is convenient.
1875–84. Knight, Dict. Mech., s.v. Solder-casting, -cutter, -cutting, -mold.
1895. Daily News, 24 Dec., 7/2. A powerful solder-pounding machine.
