Forms: α. 5–6 (9 Sc.) souder, 5–7 soudre; 5–6 (9 Sc.) sowder (5 -yr, 6 sowdr-); 8–9 north. and Sc. sowther, 9 souther. β. 6–7 sauder (6 savdr-), 6–7 (9) sawder (7 sawdr-). γ. 5–8 soder (7 sodr-), 7 (9 dial.) soader (7 soadr-), 7–8 (9 dial.) sodder (7 soddr-); 6–8 (9 dial.) sother. δ. 6–7 soulder. ε. 6– solder (6–7 soldr-). [f. SOLDER sb.1 Cf. SOLD v.2]
1. trans. To unite or fasten by means of a metallic solder. Also with in, on, together, up, etc.
α. c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 1447. And alle þe mynyssionys of þat nayle … Weron soudryd fast aȝayne withouȝt ony fayle.
1492–3. Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905), 187. A ll. di. of sawdyr to sowdyr þe same pype, xijd.
1495. Trevisa’s Barth. De P. R., XVI. xcii. (W. de W.), 584. Leed may not be sone soudryd to leed nother to brasse.
1530. Palsgr., 725/2. I wyll sowder this pipe of leede.
1551. Recorde, Cast. Knowl. (1556), 59. These plates … shoulde haue bothe the endes soudred togither.
1613. M. Ridley, Magn. Bodies, 85. As though they were tied, glued, and soudred together.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxvii. It’s best to say ye’re an auld tinkler,… for maybe the gudewife will hae something to souther.
1829. Brockett, N. C. Gloss. (ed. 2), Sowther, to solder.
1882. Jamieson’s Sc. Dict., IV. 352/2. To sowther, souther, to solder.
β. 1511. [see the vbl. sb. 1].
1560–1. in Willis & Clark, Cambridge (1886), II. 628. For mendinge and sawderinge the cunditte pipe.
1570. Levins, Manip., 78. To Sau[d]er, conferruminare.
1605. [see the vbl. sb. 1].
γ. 1561. Eden, Arte Nauig., II. xx. 41 b. A … wyre … made fast or sothered in it.
1601. Dolman, La Primaud. Fr. Acad., 513. As tin doth soder and join togither broken copper.
1660. Boyle, New Exp. Phys.-Mech., Proem 11. There was soder’d on to the shank of the Cock … a Plate of Tin.
1684. R. Waller, Nat. Exper., 51. When we had first put it through the Ring M, sodered to a small Iron Rod.
1743. in Willis & Clark, Cambridge (1886), I. 296. To George the goldsmith … for sothering on a pece of brass.
1769. Phil. Trans., LIX. 70. I then soddered the wires of each jar to the rod which connected them.
δ. 1535. Coverdale, Dan. ii. 43. Like as yron wil not be souldered with a potsherde.
1565. Cooper, Thesaurus, Agglutino,… to soulder together.
1659. Leak, Water-works, 7. Let the pipe DC be souldered to the bottom passing through it.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., III. 39. Having most exactly bent the Ring, they Soulder the two ends of it together.
ε. 1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., 59. Ye tail of the siluer pipe stretcht it selfe into the mouth of a great paire of belowes, where it was close soldered.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 9 Sept. 1678. A plate of brasse soldered thereon.
1712. J. James, trans. Le Blond’s Gardening, 200. To the Conduit-Pipe is soldered an upright Pipe,… and at the End of this Socket is likewise soldered the Brass-Nut.
1731. Miller, Gard. Dict., Lupulus 4 G, This Bed is to be cover’d with large double Tin, solder’d together at each Joint.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 11. The end … of the stop-cock, is soldered or screwed into the end of the tube.
1858. Lardner, Hand-bk. Nat. Phil., 307. In this hole is soldered the mouth of another tin bucket.
1895. Daily Chron., 15 Jan., 6/7. One of the difficulties in the use of aluminium has been the trouble of soldering it.
b. transf. To unite firmly or closely, to cause to adhere strongly, by means of some substance or device.
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 594. The mortar … hath not that binding as it ought, and so the walls built therewith are not sodred accordingly.
1606. Shaks., Ant. & Cl., III. iv. 32. As if the world should cleaue, and that slaine men Should soader vp the Rift.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 5. The Common Fly … can at pleasure … sodder and be-glew herself to the plain she walks on.
1839–47. Todd’s Cycl. Anat., III. 243/2. Instances of the toes soldered together, as in the Horse.
1841. Penny Cycl., XXI. 158/1. The parietal bones are early soldered to the occipital.
† 2. Med. To cause (wounds) to close up and become whole; to reunite (tissues or bones). Obs.
α. 1495. Trevisa’s Barth. De P. R., XVI. xix. (Caxton), 559. Glewe hath vertue … to soudre [Bodl. MS. soude] woundes and blotches.
1597. A. M., trans. Guillemeau’s Fr. Chirurg., 23 b/1. The foresayed suture, is commonlye healed together the seaventh day, and soudered.
γ. 1577. Frampton, Joyful Newes, III. (1596), 94. Put into Sores, it healeth and sodereth them forthwith.
1639. T. de Gray, Expert Farrier, 341. The iuyce of Salendine well conglutinat and sodder the tongue together being cut or wounded.
1656. Ridgley, Pract. Physick, 172. A Plaister of Ivy Gum sodders bones wonderfully.
1733. Cheyne, Eng. Malady, I. x. (1734), 98. The Fluids … to soder and repair their Wounds, Wastes, and Decays.
δ. 1600. Surflet, Countrie Farme, II. xlii. 262. The leaues thereof are good to conglutinate and soulder togither both outward and inward wounds.
1652. Culpepper, Eng. Physic., 34. The juyce put into fresh or green wounds doth quickly soulder up the lips of them together.
ε. 1628. Ford, Love’s Mel., I. ii. (1629), 13. As the one patches our tatterd clothes, so the other solders our diseased flesh.
1769. Phil. Trans., LIX. 395. Inflammation solders up the mouths of these little vessels.
a. 1788. Pott, Chirurg. Wks., II. 208. With a view to closing or soldering broken lymphatics.
3. fig. To unite, to cause to adhere, in a close, firm or intimate manner.
γ. 1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxxvi. § 9. I could easily declare, how all things which are of God, hee hath … sodered as it were together with the glue of mutuall assistance.
1601. Dent, Pathw. Heaven, 83. These carnall worldlings which are fast sodred to the earth!
1642. D. Rogers, Naaman, 133. Selfe soders matters of all sorts together.
1675. R. Burthogge, Causa Dei, 39. ’Tis … Soul and Body Soder’d into one Compositum that sins.
1708. Swift, Sent. Ch. Eng. Man, Wks. 1751, IV. 66. The Presbyterians, Anabaptists, Independents, and other Sects did all … unite and sodder up their several schemes to join against the Church.
δ. 1607. Shaks., Timon, IV. iii. 388. Thou visible God, That souldrest close Impossibilities, And mak’st them kisse.
1638. Drumm. of Hawth., Irene, Wks. (1711), 166. That Power and Frame, which in a Monarchy hath been joined and souldered together many Ages.
ε. 1589. Pappe w. Hatchet, E iij. To the foure & twentie orders of knaues, thou maist solder the foure and twentie orders of fooles.
1646. J. Hall, Horæ Vac., 98. Friendship … of equalls is ever best soldered.
1744. E. Moore, Fables for Ladies, xxii. 58. And, haply, use that precious metal To solder sexes, like a kettle.
1796. Burke, Corr. (1844), IV. 383. We have abdicated the crown of Corsica, which had been newly soldered to the crown of Great Britain.
1827. Gentl. Mag., XCVII. II. 62. To permit his Royal Patronage to be soldered on to the Bible-Society.
1862. Lytton, Strange Story, I. 135. I clamped and soldered dogma to dogma in the links of my tinkered logic.
† b. To close or block up (the ear). Obs.–1
1648. J. Beaumont, Psyche, II. ii. No wretched Adder ever soder’d up His wilful ear with trustier cement.
† c. absol. To remain obdurately deaf. Obs.–1
1642. D. Rogers, Naaman, 865. That paddle and adoe which you have made to soder and play the Hypocrite.
4. fig. To bring or restore to a sound or unimpaired condition; to repair, mend, patch up again.
1607. Hieron, Wks., I. 471. The more tender the loue, the more hard to be sodered, when it hath receiued a cracke.
c. 1640. J. Smyth, Lives Berkeleys (1883), II. 161. This peace was not so soundly on each part sawdred, but that afterwards it leaked at certaine crannells.
1697. C. Leslie, Snake in Grass (ed. 2), 179. Thou … seek’st to sodder their Leaky Infallibility, that thou may’st Inherit it.
1704. Swift, T. Tub, ix. An art to sodder and patch up the flaws and imperfections of nature.
1786. Burns, Twa Dogs, 216. The Men cast out in party-matches, Then sowther a’ in deep debauches.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xlvii. Under pretence that they have southered sin wi’ marriage.
1857. Gen. P. Thompson, Audi Alt., I. iii. 8. Fourteen thousand men are on their way to solder with slaughter what must have been the misdoings of somebody.
b. Similarly with up.
1594. Nashe, Terrors of Night, Ep. Ded. Pale penurious beautie, which giues dull Painters store of gold to solder vp their leane dints of deformity.
1607. Marston, What You Will, I. i. B 2. A rout of crased fortunes whose crakt states Gape to be sodderd vp by the rich masse Of the deceased labores.
1699. Garth, Dispensary, II. 20. And some would know the issue of their Cause, And whether Gold can sodder up its flaws.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1811), IV. 58. She must therefore choose to be mine, for the sake of soldering up her reputation.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxiv. But it was a’ sowdered up again some gait, and the bairn was sent awa.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., II. V. i. The sad Varennes business has been soldered up.
5. absol. To perform the operation of uniting with solder.
1588. Purfoote (title), Howe to Gylde, Graue, Sowder, and Vernishe.
1639. T. de Gray, Expert Farrier, 35. Handy-worke is to heat the Iron well, to Sodder well, to Forge well [etc.].
1715. trans. Pancirollus’ Rerum Mem., II. vii. 316. One kind of it [mineral] is called Borax, or Green Earth, which the Goldsmiths solder with.
1771. Encycl. Brit., III. 616/2. To solder upon silver, brass, or iron.
1850. Carlyle, Latter-d. Pamph., IV. 4. Begin to hammer at it, solder at it,… it will fall to sherds, as sure as rust is rust.
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., 62/2. The Egyptians soldered with lead as long ago as the time of Thothmes.
† b. Of substances: To promote or cause close union; to serve as solder. Obs.
1495. Trevisa’s Barth. De P. R., VII. lix. (Caxton), 275. Medycynes that close and soudre and brede good flesshe.
1612. J. Davies (Heref.), Muse’s Sacrifice, Wks. (Grosart), II. 69/1. Surgions Bands doe pinch, to solder so.
1645. Calamy, Indictm. agst. Eng., 7. These are the glew that soders; these are the nerves and sinewes that joyne a Kingdome together.
6. intr. To adhere, unite, grow together. Also fig.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XVII. iv. 695. He took the suerd and sette the pecys to gyders and they soudered as fayr as euer they were to fore.
1597. A. M., trans. Guillemeau’s Fr. Chirurg., 12/1. They [bones] ioyne, & soulder as it weare] together agayne. Ibid., 23/1. If … they [split lips] can not souder, & ioyn the on[e] with the other.
1639. T. de Gray, Expert Farrier, 322. If the sinew or artery be broken,… to cause it to soder or joyne againe.
1653. Blithe, Eng. Improver Impr., 121. Nor [will] the Turf have fitting time to sodder and work together before the dry weather comes.
1737. Ramsay, Prov. (1750), 126. Youth and eild never sowder well.
1776. G. White, Selborne, lxx. The tree in the suffering part was plastered with loam…. If the parts coalesced and soldered together … the party was cured.
1897–1901. in Eng. Dial. Dict.
b. Const. with (a person or thing).
1641. Milton, Prel. Episc., 22. Wee … take up there those cast principles which will soone cause us to soder up with them againe.
1647. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., xlvii. 125. The Tripple Crown could never solder with the English, nor it with that.
a. 1687. R. McWard, Earnest Contend. for Faith (1723), 4. Others also, with whom we must likewise souder, have been encouraged to repeat, and rush upon the same disloyal Practises.
