so that
conjEtymology From Middle English so that, so þat, sa þat, swo þat, swa þat, from Old English swā þæt, equivalent to so + that. Cognate with Saterland Frisian sodät, West Frisian sadat, Dutch zodat, German sodaß, sodass.
1
Indicates result; in order that, with the result that.
- He must die so that (as a result) others may/might live.
- You so create your own activities that you find them fulfilling.
1 more example
- He seized his axe, which he had made very sharp, and as the leader of the wolves came on the Tin Woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf's head from its body, so that it immediately died.1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M[elvin] Hill Co., →OCLC:
2
Indicates purpose; in such a way that, with the intent that.
- He tied a complex knot so that others would find it hard to undo.
- I’ll open a window, so that we’ll get some fresh air in here.
1 more example
- The Bat—they called him the Bat.[…]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 01:
- Synonyms
- in order that, that
- Related terms
- in order, in order for, in order to