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

  1. The foam made by rapidly stirring soap and water;...

Ancestry of “lather”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlather—
2Old Englishlēaþora kind of niter used for soap, soda
3Proto-Germaniclauþrąnitre used as soap, soap; foam, lather
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlówh₃tromthat which is used for washing; washbasin,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlewh₃-to wash

Words derived from “lather”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewh₃- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European lówh₃trom →Every word from Proto-Germanic lauþrą →