soap meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

soap

noun

US /soʊp/ · UK /səʊp/

Etymology

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”), Finnish saippua (“soap”), Finnish suopa (“soft 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.

1

Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A metallic salt derived from a fatty acid, commonly used in cleaning products.

2

Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Mineralogy, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Broadly, Informal 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.
She went to the shop to buy soap, but they had run out.

3

Slang Money, specially when used as a bribe.

4

Informal A soap opera.

5

A solid masonry unit or brick reduced in depth or height from standard dimensions.

Derived terms: 128 terms
Aleppo soap, bar soap, bile soap, body soap, carbolic soap, Castile soap, curd soap, dish soap, docusoap, don't drop the soap, drop the soap, facial soap, ghar soap, glass soap, green soap, hand soap, handsoap, hard soap, hospital soap, household soap, Joe Soap, know from a bar of soap, laundry soap, laurel soap, liquid soap, lithium soap, mahogany soap, marine soap, Marseille soap, Marseilles soap, mercury soap, metallic soap, mountain soap, Nabulsi soap, nonsoap, no soap, oatmeal soap, paste soap, poor man's soap, potassium soap, quicksilver soap, rock soap, saddle soap, saltwater soap, sandsoap, shave soap, shaving soap, soap acacia, soapball, soap bar, soapbark, soapberry, soapbloom, soap box, soapbox, soap boy, soap brick, soap bubble, soapcurd, soapdish, soap dish, soap dispenser, soap dodger, soap-dodging, soapdom, soapen, soapery, soap film, soapfish, soap flake, soapflake, soap foam, soap gourd, soapie, soapify, soapland, soapless, soapless soap, soaplike, soaplock, soapmaker, soapmaking, soapman, soapmonger, soap night, soapnut, soap opera, soap-operatic, soap pad, soap pan, soap plant, soap ring, soaprock, soaproot, soap scum, soap shaker, soapstar, soapstock, soapstone, soapsuds, soap suds, soap test, soaptree, soap tree, soap up, soapweed, soapwell, soapwood, soapworker, soapworks, soapwort, soapy, sodium soap, soft soap, soft-soap, Spanish soap, stainless steel soap, sugar soap, sulfur soap, sulphur soap, supersoap, Syrian soap, uglier than homemade soap, Venetian soap, Venice soap, wash one's brain out with soap, Windsor soap, yellow soap
Related terms: body wash, shampoo, shower gel, wash-ball

soap

verb

Etymology

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”), Finnish saippua (“soap”), Finnish suopa (“soft 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.

1

To apply soap to in washing.

Be sure to soap yourself well before rinsing.

2

Informal To cover, lather, or in any other manner treat with soap, often as a prank.

Those kids soaped my windows!

3

Informal To be discreet about (a topic).

4

Dated, Slang To flatter; to wheedle.

Derived terms: resoap, soap down, soap off, unsoaped
Related terms: soaper, saponification

soap

noun

Etymology Probably an abbreviation of sodium pentothal.

1

Slang thiopental (sodium pentothal)

'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.2013, John Gardner, James Bond: The John Gardner Years:

soap

soap

soap

soap

Learn more