lather

¹ American  

[lath-er] / ˈlæð ər /

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.

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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 American  

[lath-er, lah-ther] / ˈlæθ ər, ˈlɑ θər /

noun

1. a worker who puts up laths.

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lather British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to coat or become coated with lather

2. (intr) to form a lather

lather Idioms  

1. see in a lather.

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Other Word Forms

• latherer noun
• lathery adjective
• unlathered adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

But he was scowling at the magazine, and I realized it was the photo of Anna May that had him in a lather.

From Literature

As I lather my hair, leftover sand washes off my feet and swirls down the drain.

From Literature

“All of a sudden,” Mr. Perry said, “there was a cat. So I lathered the cat by mistake. Missed my customer and lathered the cat.”

From Literature

It seemed wrong to work Mrs. Thayer up into a lather like this.

From Literature

She ate more black beans, lathered her scalp with French soap and opted for root perms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• froth