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lather

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lather¹

  • /ˈlɑː.ðə/ UK
  • /ˈlæð.ə/ UK
  • /ˈlæð.ɚ/ US

Sounds like lava, larva (Cockney) · Rhymes with -æðə(ɹ), -ɑːðə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English lather, from Old English lēaþor (“a kind of nitre used for soap, soda”), from Proto-West Germanic *lauþr, from Proto-Germanic *lauþrą (“that which is used for washing, soap”), from Proto-Indo-European *lówh₃trom (“that which is used for washing”), from *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 loathar (“wash-basin”), Ancient Greek λουτρόν (loutrón, “a bath, wash-room”), Latin lavō (“to wash”), Albanian laj (“to wash”), Ancient Greek λούω (loúō). More at lye.

Compare typologically Russian мы́ло (mýlo) (a nomen instrumenti of мыть (mytʹ)).

noun lathers

  1. countable, uncountable The foam made by rapidly stirring soap and water. Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.

    Similar: suds, soap suds

  2. countable, uncountable Foam from profuse sweating, as of a horse.
  3. countable A state of agitation.

lather²

  • /ˈlɑː.ðə/ UK
  • /ˈlæð.ə/ UK
  • /ˈlæð.ɚ/ US

Sounds like lava, larva (Cockney) · Rhymes with -æðə(ɹ), -ɑːðə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English letheren, from Old English līeþran, from Proto-West Germanic *lauþrijan, from Proto-Germanic *lauþrijaną (“to soap, wash”). Cognate with Old Norse leyðra (“to wash, lather”).

verb lathers · lathering · lathered

  1. transitive To cover with lather. I lathered my body with lavender-scented soap.
  2. transitive To beat or whip.
  3. intransitive To form lather or froth, as a horse does when profusely sweating. I woke Corporal Honda to see to the horse. Heavily lathered and breathing hard, it had obviously come a long way at high speed.

    Similar: spume, suds, foam, froth

Translations

Every language

noun foam of soap and water

Españolespuma de jabón, espuma jabonosa/saponácea
한국어비누 거품 binu geopum
日本語泡, 泡沫
中文泡沫兒 /泡沫儿 pàomòr
Portuguêsespuma
Françaismousse de savon
DeutschSeifenschaum, Schaum
Italianoschiuma di sapone
Русскиймы́льная пе́на mýlʹnaja péna

noun foam from profuse sweating

Françaisécume
DeutschSchaum, Pferdeschaum
Русскийпе́на péna

verb to cover with lather

Españolenjabonar
Portuguêsensaboar
Françaissavonner
Deutscheinschäumen
Italianoinsaponare
Русскиймы́лить mýlitʹ, намы́лить namýlitʹ

verb to beat or whip

Deutschaufschäumen, aufschlagen

verb to form lather or froth, as a horse does when profusely sweating

Españolespumar, espumear
Deutschschäumen

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Cite this
MLA

"lather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lather. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lather. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lather

Chicago

"lather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lather.

BibTeX
@misc{lather_2026,
  title = {lather},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lather},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}