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

Derived Forms

• ˈlathery, adjective

Other Words From

• lather·er noun
• un·lathered 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

Some elite runners like to race angry and intentionally work themselves into a lather prior to competing.

From Outside Online

Work the lather through the brush hairs then rinse well, squeeze out the remaining water and allow to air-dry.

From Washington Post

One of the first, UVeBand, tracks how well your sunscreen is performing—and pings you when its time to lather up again.

From The Daily Beast

As a boy, I watched my grandfather create a froth of lather in that cup, and shave himself with a straight razor.

From The Daily Beast

That only makes more mysterious the lather he can work himself into whenever he talks about these issues on air today.

From The Daily Beast

Working the gossips of UrbanBaby into a lather is a low bar; losing them lower still.

From The Daily Beast

But is the press getting itself worked into a lather over what Barbour did and thought when he was a teenager?

From The Daily Beast

Have ready in a wash-kettle, a strong cold lather of clear water and white Castile soap.

From Project Gutenberg

Make a lather of white soap and cold water, and put it into a saucepan.

From Project Gutenberg

The next moment his head, under the energetic manipulation of the operator, was a creamy mass of lather.

From Project Gutenberg

A good lather is applied all over the body with good friction by the means of a shampoo brush and soap.

From Project Gutenberg

Williams turned up with "Pussy" in a lather, having been hunting for me all round Pretoria.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• froth