SOS
The origin and history of SOS.
Etymology
Chosen in the early 1900s purely because its Morse pattern (three dots, three dashes, three dots) is short and easy to send and recognize — not, despite popular belief, an abbreviation for "save our souls" or "save our ship."
Class of 1900
SOS first entered the language around 1900. Other words from the same year:
See the full Class of 1900 →