solid

Etymology

From Middle English solide, borrowed from Old French solide (as an adjective), from Latin solidus (“solid”), from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂-i-dʰ-o-s (“entire”), suffixed form of root *solh₂- (“integrate, whole”). Doublet of sol, sold, soldo, solidus, and sou.

adj

1. (of an object or substance) That can be picked up or held, having a texture, and usually firm. Unlike a liquid, gas or plasma.
   Almost all metals are solid at room temperature.
2. Large in size, quantity, or value.
   Almost a quarter of a million copies is really a solid number for today's record industry. In fact, that number is more than the last two number one albums July 8, 2015, “Rapper Meek Mill Charts His First Number One Album”, in Forbes
   Americans increased their borrowing by a solid amount in September. But the gain was less than half the big August surge November 7, 2018, “Consumer borrowing up solid $10.9 billion in September”, in Journal Record
   On top of that, the speaker is big, so you may have to set aside a solid amount of space for it. November 7, 2018, Christian de Looper, “The best Google Assistant smart speakers you can buy”, in Business Insider
3. Lacking holes, hollows or admixtures of other materials.
   solid gold
   solid chocolate
   The cane was undoubtedly of foreign make, for it had a solid silver ferrule at one end, which was not English hall–marked. 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, in The Ayrsham Mystery
4. Strong or unyielding.
   a solid foundation
   As in the 1-0 win against Norway in Oslo, this was an England performance built on the foundations of solid defence and tactical discipline. June 2, 2012, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Belgium”, in BBC Sport
5. (slang) Excellent, of high quality, or reliable.
   That's a solid plan.
   Radiohead's on tour! Have you heard their latest album yet? It's quite solid.
   I don't think Dave would have done that. He's a solid dude.
6. Hearty; filling.
   a solid meal
7. Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial; not frivolous or fallacious.
   1875-1886, J. A. Symonds, Renaissance in Italy: The revival of learning The genius of the Italians wrought by solid toil what the myth-making imagination of the Germans had projected in a poem.
8. Financially well off; wealthy.
9. Sound; not weak.
   a solid constitution of body
10. (typography) Written as one word, without spaces or hyphens.
    Coordinate term: hyphenation (noun)
    American English writes many words as solid that British English hyphenates.
11. (printing, dated) Not having the lines separated by leads; not open.
12. (US, politics, slang) United; without division; unanimous.
    The delegation is solid for a candidate.
13. Of a single color throughout.
    John painted the walls solid white.
    He wore a solid shirt with floral pants.
14. (of drawn lines) Continuous; unbroken; not dotted or dashed.
    The solid lines show roads, and the dotted lines footpaths.
15. (dated) Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic.
    A solid foot contains 1,728 solid inches.
16. (of volumes of materials) Measured as a single solid, as the volumes of individual pieces added together without any gaps.

noun

1. (chemistry) A substance in the fundamental state of matter that retains its size and shape without need of a container (as opposed to a liquid or gas).
2. (geometry) A three-dimensional figure (as opposed to a surface, an area, or a curve).
3. (informal) A favor.
   Please do me a solid: lend me your car for one week.
   I owe him; he did me a solid last year.
   Fortunately, the president of our illustrious institution has been after me for a year to get Francis Ford Coppola to speak at next year's commencement, and Francis owes me a solid. 2010, Loren D. Estleman, Frames, page 54
   You can't make a move till you have about a year in a precinct, but tell you what, stay in touch. Lots a people still owe me a solid or two on the Job. 2012, Robert Cea, No Lights, No Sirens: The Corruption and Redemption of an Inner City Cop, page 61
   Thomas had seemed ready to spend the night on the couch, and now he couldn't get out of here fast enough. Hopping up, I followed after him. "Thanks again, Thomas," I said, opening the door for him. "I owe you a solid." 2013, Nicole Williams, Crush
4. An article of clothing which is of a single color throughout.
   I prefer solids over paisleys.
5. (in the plural) Food which is not liquid-based.
   The doctor said I can't eat any solids four hours before the operation.

adv

1. Solidly.
   Hm-m-—These papers are complete—They make Mortimer and Matilda the legal guardians of Babs—ought to put me in more solid than ever with Miss Effie—and that home is good graft. March 7, 1937, Marsh, “Dan Dunn-Secret Operative 48”, in Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune
   Suppose, then, a whole family got sick with this flu, and no help around, and winter setting in solid and cold three weeks early? 1943, Wallace Stegner, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, page 246
   set a new high in baseball for the year, not only ending speculation as to when Durocher would be fired but putting him in more solid than ever before. July 16, 1943, “Dodger Rebellion Is Settled With One Dramatic Flourish”, in Youngstown (OH) Vindicator
   If true, that means he deliberately risked American and French lives, and maybe the battle, in order to get in solid with Lafayette. 1997, David Ambrose, Superstition, page 239
   Then he drew a long-barreled revolver from under a coat that he had thrown aside and examined it carefully to see that the powder and ball were in solid and that none of the caps was missing 2008, James Oliver Curwood, The Courage of Captain Plum, page 3
   Soichi Yamazaki, chief analyst at Fukoku Capital Management said Nidec Corp's (6594.OS) earnings came in more solid than expected on Friday July 26, 2009, Rika Otsuka, “Nikkei hits 6-wk high on earnings hopes, Hitachi jumps”, in Reuters.com
2. (not comparable, typography) Without spaces or hyphens.
   Many long-established compounds are set solid.