Sobeit and So Be It

Sobeit and So Be It Sobeit and So Be It Sobeit and So Be It By Maeve Maddox Jean writes: Could you do a feature on so be it and sobeit? Â  I thought for sure it was always written as three words until a discussion on a court reporters message board came up about a proofreader saying that it should be a one-word word. Sobeit is a word and so be it is a clause. Neither is much used in ordinary conversation or writing, but legal language tends to be on the old-fashioned side. The clause so be it is a subjunctive expression meaning let it be so. Example: Aladdin: I want a huge palace with a thousand servants and a swimming pool. Genie: So be it! Sobeit can be used as conjunction or as a noun. As a conjunction sobeit means provided that, if. Example: I will finish this 800-page novel, sobeit I live long enough. Sobeit can also be used as a noun, as in this example from the OED: Thou answerest me an houre after..like to a Sexton with a Sobeit or Amen. Whether to spell it as one word or write it out as three words depends upon the context. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Farther vs. FurtherTry to vs. Try and30 Nautical Expressions