solere

Solere is a Latin verb meaning to be accustomed to, to be wont to do something. It is a defective or semi-deponent verb of the second conjugation, and its usage centers on habitual or customary action rather than a single occurrence. The principal parts are soleō, solēre, solitus sum.

In the present system, it appears as soleō, soles, solet, solemus, soletis, solent, used to express present habit. The imperfect is solebam, solebas, solebat, solebāmus, solebātis, solebant, describing past habits. The perfect system uses the participle solitus (sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt) with forms of esse, for example solitus sum, solitus es, solitus est, and so forth. There is no widely attested standard future in the classical active voice; some grammars note occasional late-Latin forms, but they are not typical.

Solere governs an infinitive in constructions such as solēre facere “to be wont to do” or “to usually do.” It is commonly used to describe repeated actions in the past, e.g., puer solebat venire “the boy used to come.” In modern Latin dictionaries and grammars, solere appears as a paradigm for indicating habitual aspect rather than punctual action.

In English, solere is encountered almost exclusively in scholarly or textual contexts, where it is translated as “to be accustomed to,” “to be wont to,” or “to be in the habit of.” The phrase solitus est often translates as “he has become accustomed to” or “he is wont to.”