Etymology : Middle English, from Old English lEathor; akin to Latin lavere to wash; more at LYE
Pronunciation : 'la-[
th]&r
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. soapy foam; frothy foam formed by excessive sweating; nervous state, agitated condition (Slang). form a lather; become lathered with sweat (as of a horse); coat with lather; beat, hit (Slang). lather\lath"er\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. lathered ; p. pr. & vb. n. lathering.] [as. lē?rian to lather, anoint. see:
lather, n. ] to spread over with lather; as, to lather the face.lather \lath"er\, v. i. to form lather, or a froth like lather; to accumulate foam from profuse sweating, as a horse.lather \lath"er\, v. t. [cf. leather.] to beat severely with a thong, strap, or the like; to flog. [low] [lather \lath"er\ , n. [as. le??or niter, in le??orwyrt soapwort; cf. icel. lau r; perh. akin to e. lye.].
2. foam or froth made by soap moistened with water.
3. foam from profuse sweating, as of a horse.lather n.
4. the froth produced by soaps or detergents [syn: soapsuds, suds].
5. agitation resulting from active worry; "don't get in a stew"; "he's in a sweat about exams" [syn: fret, stew, sweat, swither].
6. a workman who puts up laths.
7. the foam resulting from excessive sweating (as on a horse) v 1: cover with soap [syn: soap] 2: beat severely with a whip or rod; "the teacher often flogged the students"; "the children were severely trounced" [syn: flog, welt, whip, lash, slash, strap, trounce] 3: form a lather; "the shaving cream lathered" 4: rub soap all over, usually with the purpose of cleaning [syn: soap].
8. Foam or froth made by soap moistened with water.
9. Foam from profuse sweating, as of a horse.
10. To spread over with lather; as, to lather the face.
11. To form lather, or a froth like lather; to accumulate foam from profuse sweating, as a horse.
12. To beat severely with a thong, strap, or the like; to flog. the foam resulting from excessive sweating a workman who puts up laths form a lather; "The shaving cream lathered" cover with soap; "lather your body when you shower".
13. 1. A lather is a white mass of bubbles which is produced by mixing a substance such as soap or washing powder with water. the sort of water that easily makes a lather with soap He wiped off the remains of the lather with a towel.
14. When a substance such as soap or washing powder lathers, it produces a white mass of bubbles because it has been mixed with water. The shampoo lathers and foams so much it's very hard to rinse it all out.
15. If you lather something, you rub a substance such as soap or washing powder on it until a lather is produced, in order to clean it. Lather your hair as normal For super-soft skin, lather on a light body lotion before you bathe.