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Lather
Definitions
- 1 The foam made by rapidly stirring soap and water. countable, uncountable
"Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed."
- 2 the foam resulting from excessive sweating (as on a horse) wordnet
- 3 Foam from profuse sweating, as of a horse. countable, uncountable
- 4 the froth produced by soaps or detergents wordnet
- 5 A state of agitation. countable
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- 6 a workman who puts up laths wordnet
- 7 agitation resulting from active worry wordnet
- 1 To cover with lather. transitive
"I lathered my body with lavender-scented soap."
- 2 rub soap all over, usually with the purpose of cleaning wordnet
- 3 To beat or whip. transitive
- 4 exude sweat or lather wordnet
- 5 To form lather or froth, as a horse does when profusely sweating. intransitive
"I woke Corporal Honda to see to the horse. Heavily lathered and breathing hard, it had obviously come a long way at high speed."
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- 6 form a lather wordnet
- 7 beat severely with a whip or rod wordnet
Etymology
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 (“I wash”), Albanian laj (“I wash”), Ancient Greek λούω (loúō). More at lye.
From 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.
See also for "lather"
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