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Added 8 October 2026

lather

/ˈlɑː.ðə/ noun

Latin root: lavō Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lather at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The foam made by rapidly stirring soap and water.
Foam from profuse sweating, as of a horse.
A state of agitation.

verb

To cover with lather.
I lathered my body with lavender-scented soap.
To beat or whip.
To form lather or froth, as a horse does when profusely sweating.

Origin

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)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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