sou

The "sou" (pronounced "soo") is a small old French coin that still lives on in language. In English, it usually appears in idioms to mean a very small amount of money or something of very little value. If you say you "don't have a sou," you mean you are completely broke, much like saying you "don't have a red cent." The word often brings an old-world feeling and shows up in classic writing about careful spending or hard times. Just remember: it sounds like "sue," not "soul."

The word "sou" is a survivor from the French monetary system, with roots going back to the Roman solidus. Historically, a sou was a coin of small value, and although it is no longer in use as money, its name still suggests a tiny amount.

In English writing and conversation, "sou" often appears in negative phrases to stress having no money at all. To be "sans sou" or to have "not a sou" suggests such complete poverty that not even one small coin remains. It can also describe something of almost no value; if something is "not worth a sou," it is judged worthless.

Today, the word is used mostly in a figurative or literary way. For example, the phrase "sou par sou" ("penny by penny") describes saving or spending little by little. Compared with "cent," "sou" sounds older and more literary, and it can suggest a French, European, or 19th-century setting.

It is important not to confuse "sou" with "soul." They are different words and they are not pronounced the same. A writer might use "sou" when describing a character with empty pockets, careful habits, or a life of hardship. Whether you meet it in translation, historical fiction, or an old-fashioned turn of phrase, "sou" carries the sense of a very small coin and, by extension, very little money at all.