lather

¹

[lath-er]

noun

1. foam or froth made by a detergent, especially soap, when stirred or rubbed in water, as by a brush used in shaving or by hands in washing.

2. foam or froth formed in profuse sweating, as on a horse.

3. Informal.,  a state of excitement, agitation, nervous tension, or the like.

   He was in a lather over my delay.

verb (used without object)

1. to form a lather.

   a soap that lathers well.

2. to become covered with lather, as a horse.

verb (used with object)

1. to apply lather to; cover with lather.

   He lathered his face before shaving.

2. Informal.,  to beat or whip.

lather

²

[lath-er, lah-ther]

noun

1. a worker who puts up laths.

lather

/ ˈlɑːðə, ˈlæ- /

noun

1. foam or froth formed by the action of soap or a detergent in water

2. foam formed by other liquid, such as the sweat of a horse

3. informal,  a state of agitation or excitement

verb

1. to coat or become coated with lather

2. (intr) to form a lather

Other Word Forms

• latherer noun
• unlathered adjective
• lathery adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lather¹

before 950; Middle English; Old English lēathor soap; cognate with Old Norse lauthr ( Icelandic löthur ) lather, foam

Origin of lather²

lath + -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of lather¹

Old English lēathor soap; related to Old Norse lauthr foam

Idioms and Phrases

see in a lather.

Example Sentences

"You can see the problem from Mars," another party insider says, "there's not enough political direction of what he wants to do – so the policies don't lather up into anything". they reckon.

From BBC

Now he says he's frightened by the sun and lathers himself up in SPF before even thinking about stepping outdoors.

From BBC

Featuring questionable special effects, costumes and rock star Sting lathered in baby oil, the Guardian's Charles Bramesco wrote that Lynch's experiments left the franchise "radioactive for decades".

From BBC

Trump tends to be more oblique on this front, but he frequently works himself into a lather over defending slave-owners against those who keep saying slavery was a bad thing.

From Salon

“Soap doesn’t lather as well with hard water,” said Campbell.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• froth