lather
/ˈlæð.ɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.72 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed."
- "I lathered my body with lavender-scented soap."
- "I woke Corporal Honda to see to the horse. Heavily lathered and breathing hard, it had obviously come a long way at high speed."
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 (“to wash”), Albanian laj (“to wash”), Ancient Greek λούω (loúō). More at lye. Compare typologically Russian мы́ло (mýlo) (a nomen instrumenti of мыть (mytʹ)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: lather, lēaþor, *lauþr, *lauþrą, *lówh₃trom, letheren
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈlæð.ɚ/
- British English: /ˈlɑː.ðə/