sophie

plural sophies

1. countableobsoleteuncountableObsolete spelling of sophy (“wisdom”).First known use 15th and 16th century

1. A female given name from French Sophie, equivalent to English Sophia of Ancient Greek origin.

   Wilt thou be a nun, Sophie? / Nothing but a nun? / Is it not a better thing / With thy friends to laugh and sing?

   1832 Barry Cornwall, English Songs, 1851, LXXXV ("To Sophie")

   1 more example

   No, like a small child, my daughter, Sophie Anne Louise. We gave her three names, all of which exist in English as well as in French, so she can change her name just by changing her accent. - - - Sophie Anne Louise. It is a bit pretentious, do you not find? Maybe it is better in English. Sophie Anne Louise. No, it still sounds like one of Queen Victoria's grandchildren.

   1991, Julian Barnes, Talking It Over, →ISBN, pages 241, 252

2. A diminutive of the female given name Sophia.

   Sophia landed on her behind on the soft moss that lined the river bank. "Besides, you don't win yet, Sophie," he said. "I have one more stone still."

   1995, Marilyn Seguin, The Bell Keeper: The story of Sophia and the Massacre of the Indians at Gnadenhutten, Ohio, in 1782, page 8

3. A village in Ouest department, Haiti.

plural Sophies

1. archaicArchaic spelling of Safavi.

   The Prince of Morocco: […]By this Symitare, That ſlew the Sophie, and a Perſian Prince[…]

   c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 167, columns 1–2

   1 more example

   The Safavid shahs were commonly termed by Western writers "Sophie", "Sophy", "Sophi" or "Soffi". All these terms were probably corruptions of Ṣafī, the name of the founder of the Safavid Order, rather than of Ṣūfī, as the Safavid supporters called themselves.

   1980, Roger Savory, Iran under the Safavids, Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge University Press, published 2007, →ISBN, page 259