• (UK)enPR:lä'thə,lăth'ə,IPA^(key):/ˈlɑː.ðə(ɹ)/,/ˈlæð.ə(ɹ)/
• (US)IPA^(key):/ˈlæð.ɚ/

• Audio(US):

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• Audio(General Australian):

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• Rhymes:-æðə(ɹ),-ɑːðə(ɹ)
• Homophones:lava,larva(Cockney)

FromMiddle Englishlather, fromOld Englishlēaþor(“a kind of nitre used for soap, soda”), fromProto-West Germanic*lauþr, fromProto-Germanic*lauþrą(“that which is used for washing, soap”), fromProto-Indo-European*lówh₃trom(“that which is used for washing”), from*lewh₃-,*lowh₃-(“to wash, bathe”). Cognate withSwedishlödder(“lather, foam, froth, soap”),Icelandiclöður(“foam, froth, a kind of niter used for soap”),Old Irishlóathar(“wash-basin”),Ancient Greekλουτρόν(loutrón,“a bath, wash-room”),Latinlavō(“I wash”),Albanianlaj(“I wash”),Ancient Greekλούω(loúō). More atlye.

lather (countable anduncountable,plurallathers)

1. (countable,uncountable) Thefoam made by rapidlystirringsoap and water.

   Synonyms:suds,soap suds

2. (countable,uncountable) Foam fromprofusesweating, as of ahorse.
3. (countable) A state ofagitation.

• in a lather
• lathery

FromMiddle English*lethren, fromOld Englishlēþrian,lȳþrian,*līeþrian(“to anoint, smear, lather”), fromOld Englishlēaþor(“a kind of niter used for soap, soda”). See above.

lather (third-person singular simple presentlathers,present participlelathering,simple past and past participlelathered)

1. (transitive) Tocover with lather.

   The young womanlathered her breasts with lavender-scented soap.

2. (transitive) To beat or whip.
3. (intransitive) To form lather orfroth, as a horse does when profusely sweating.
   • 1997,Haruki Murakami, translated byJay Rubin,The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.; republished New York: Vintage Books,1998,→ISBN, page147:

     I woke Corporal Honda to see to the horse. Heavilylathered and breathing hard, it had obviously come a long way at high speed.

• lather up
• lather, rinse, repeat

• relath,Hartel,Hartle,halter,thaler,Thaler,Thrale,rathel