Where does “lather” come from?
Lather comes from Middle English letheren, from Old English leþeren, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lówh₃trom, derived from the root lawe- with the agent suffix -tḗr.
lather (English): The foam made by rapidly stirring soap and water;...
Definitions
- The foam made by rapidly stirring soap and water;...
Ancestry of “lather”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lather | — |
| 2 | Old English | lēaþor | a kind of niter used for soap, soda |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | lauþrą | nitre used as soap, soap; foam, lather |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | lówh₃trom | that which is used for washing; washbasin,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lewh₃- | to wash |
Words derived from “lather”