Wiktionary

soap

See also: Soap and SOAP

EnglishEdit

 
Bars of soap

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English sope, sape, from Old English sāpe (“soap, salve”), from Proto-West Germanic *saipā, from Proto-Germanic *saipǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *seyb-, *seyp- (“to pour out, drip, trickle, strain”).

Cognate with Scots saip, sape (“soap”), Saterland Frisian Seepe (“soap”), West Frisian sjippe (“soap”), Dutch zeep (“soap”), German Low German Seep (“soap”), German Seife (“soap”), Danish sæbe (“soap”), Swedish såpa (“soap”), Norwegian Bokmål såpe (“soap”), Norwegian Nynorsk såpe (“soap”), Faroese sápa (“soap”), Icelandic sápa (“soap”). Related also to Old English sāp (“amber, resin, pomade, unguent”), Latin sēbum (“tallow, fat, grease”). See seep. Latin sāpō (“soap”) is a borrowing from the Germanic.

NounEdit

soap (countable and uncountable, plural soaps)

  1. (chemistry) A metallic salt derived from a fatty acid, commonly used in cleaning products.
  2. (countable, uncountable, informal, by extension) Some other substance, often a detergent or another surfactant, able to mix with both oil and water, used for cleaning.
    I tried washing my hands with soap, but the stain wouldn't go away.
  3. (slang) Money, specially when used as a bribe.
  4. (countable, informal) A soap opera.
  5. (countable) A solid masonry unit or brick reduced in depth or height from standard dimensions.
Alternative formsEdit
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
TranslationsEdit
soap opera — see soap opera
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit

VerbEdit

soap (third-person singular simple present soaps, present participle soaping, simple past and past participle soaped)

  1. (transitive) To apply soap to in washing.
    Be sure to soap yourself well before rinsing.
  2. (transitive, informal) To cover, lather or in any other form treat with soap, often as a prank.
    Those kids soaped my windows!
  3. (transitive, informal) To be discreet about (a topic).
  4. (slang, dated) To flatter; to wheedle.
SynonymsEdit
TranslationsEdit

Related termsEdit

See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

NounEdit

soap (uncountable)

  1. (slang) sodium pentothal
    • 2013, John Gardner, James Bond: The John Gardner Years
      'Time? Doesn't have much meaning when they're trying to dry you out. I rather think they gave me a shot of soap at one point.' Soap is intelligence speak for sodium pentathol.

AnagramsEdit

DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from English soap. Doublet of zeep.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

soap f (plural soaps, diminutive soapje n)

  1. soap opera

AnagramsEdit

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from English soap.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

soap m (plural soaps)

  1. soap opera

AnagramsEdit

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