lather

English

WOTD – 15 January 2016

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: lă.th'ə, lä.th'ə, IPA(key): /ˈlæ.ðə(ɹ)/, /ˈlɑːðə(ɹ)/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈlæðɚ/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -æðə(r), -ɑːðə(r)

Etymology 1

From Middle English lather, from Old English lēaþor (“a kind of niter used for soap, soda”), from Proto-Germanic *lauþrą (“that which is used for washing, soap”), from Proto-Indo-European *lowh₃-tro- (“that which is used for washing”), from Proto-Indo-European *lawe-, *lewh₃-, *lowh₃- (“to wash, bathe”). Cognate with Swedish lödder (“lather, foam, froth, soap”), Icelandic löður (“foam, froth, a kind of niter used for soap”), Old Irish lóathar (“wash-basin”), Ancient Greek λουτρόν (loutrón, “a bath, wash-room”), Latin lavō (“wash”), Albanian laj (“I wash”), Ancient Greek λούω (loúō). More at lye.

Noun

lather (countable and uncountable, plural lathers)

  1. The foam made by rapidly stirring soap and water.
  2. Foam from profuse sweating, as of a horse.
  3. A state of agitation.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Frm Middle English *lethren, from Old English lēþrian, lȳþrian, *līeþrian (“to anoint, smear, lather”), from Old English lēaþor (“a kind of niter used for soap, soda”). See above.

Verb

lather (third-person singular simple present lathers, present participle lathering, simple past and past participle lathered)

  1. (transitive) To cover with lather.
  2. (transitive) To beat or whip.
  3. (intransitive) To form lather or froth, as a horse does when profusely sweating.
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.