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18 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 :   [ gcide ]

  Soap \Soap\, n. [OE. sope, AS. s[=a]pe; akin to D. zeep, G.
     seife, OHG. seifa, Icel. s[=a]pa, Sw. s?pa, Dan. s?be, and
     perhaps to AS. s[=i]pan to drip, MHG. s[=i]fen, and L. sebum
     tallow. Cf. Saponaceous.]
     A substance which dissolves in water, thus forming a lather,
     and is used as a cleansing agent. Soap is produced by
     combining fats or oils with alkalies or alkaline earths,
     usually by boiling, and consists of salts of sodium,
     potassium, etc., with the fatty acids (oleic, stearic,
     palmitic, etc.). See the Note below, and cf.
     Saponification. By extension, any compound of similar
     composition or properties, whether used as a cleaning agent
     or not.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: In general, soaps are of two classes, hard and soft.
           Calcium, magnesium, lead, etc., form soaps, but they
           are insoluble and useless.
           [1913 Webster]
  
                 The purifying action of soap depends upon the
                 fact that it is decomposed by a large quantity of
                 water into free alkali and an insoluble acid
                 salt. The first of these takes away the fatty
                 dirt on washing, and the latter forms the soap
                 lather which envelops the greasy matter and thus
                 tends to remove it.                --Roscoe &
                                                    Schorlemmer.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     Castile soap, a fine-grained hard soap, white or mottled,
        made of olive oil and soda; -- called also Marseilles
        soap or Venetian soap.
  
     Hard soap, any one of a great variety of soaps, of
        different ingredients and color, which are hard and
        compact. All solid soaps are of this class.
  
     Lead soap, an insoluble, white, pliable soap made by
        saponifying an oil (olive oil) with lead oxide; -- used
        externally in medicine. Called also lead plaster,
        diachylon, etc.
  
     Marine soap. See under Marine.
  
     Pills of soap (Med.), pills containing soap and opium.
  
     Potash soap, any soap made with potash, esp. the soft
        soaps, and a hard soap made from potash and castor oil.
  
     Pumice soap, any hard soap charged with a gritty powder, as
        silica, alumina, powdered pumice, etc., which assists
        mechanically in the removal of dirt.
  
     Resin soap, a yellow soap containing resin, -- used in
        bleaching.
  
     Silicated soap, a cheap soap containing water glass (sodium
        silicate).
  
     Soap bark. (Bot.) See Quillaia bark.
  
     Soap bubble, a hollow iridescent globe, formed by blowing a
        film of soap suds from a pipe; figuratively, something
        attractive, but extremely unsubstantial.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              This soap bubble of the metaphysicians. --J. C.
                                                    Shairp.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Soap cerate, a cerate formed of soap, olive oil, white wax,
        and the subacetate of lead, sometimes used as an
        application to allay inflammation.
  
     Soap fat, the refuse fat of kitchens, slaughter houses,
        etc., used in making soap.
  
     Soap liniment (Med.), a liniment containing soap, camphor,
        and alcohol.
  
     Soap nut, the hard kernel or seed of the fruit of the
        soapberry tree, -- used for making beads, buttons, etc.
  
     Soap plant (Bot.), one of several plants used in the place
        of soap, as the Chlorogalum pomeridianum, a California
        plant, the bulb of which, when stripped of its husk and
        rubbed on wet clothes, makes a thick lather, and smells
        not unlike new brown soap. It is called also soap apple,
        soap bulb, and soap weed.
  
     Soap tree. (Bot.) Same as Soapberry tree.
  
     Soda soap, a soap containing a sodium salt. The soda soaps
        are all hard soaps.
  
     Soft soap, a soap of a gray or brownish yellow color, and
        of a slimy, jellylike consistence, made from potash or the
        lye from wood ashes. It is strongly alkaline and often
        contains glycerin, and is used in scouring wood, in
        cleansing linen, in dyehouses, etc. Figuratively,
        flattery; wheedling; blarney. [Colloq.]
  
     Toilet soap, hard soap for the toilet, usually colored and
        perfumed.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 :   [ gcide ]

  Soft \Soft\ (s[o^]ft; 115), a. [Compar. Softer
     (s[o^]ft"[~e]r); superl. Softest.] [OE. softe, AS.
     s[=o]fte, properly adv. of s[=e]fte, adj.; akin to OS.
     s[=a]fto, adv., D. zacht, OHG. samfto, adv., semfti, adj., G.
     sanft, LG. sacht; of uncertain origin.]
     1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or
        cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also,
        malleable; -- opposed to hard; as, a soft bed; a soft
        peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth;
        delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses.
                                                    --Matt. xi. 8.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating
        to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines. ``The
        soft, delicious air.'' --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing
        to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent
        contrast; as, soft hues or tints.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds .
              . . made the softest lights imaginable. --Sir T.
                                                    Browne.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the
        ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Her voice was ever soft,
              Gentle, and low, -- an excellent thing in woman.
                                                    --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Soft were my numbers; who could take offense?
                                                    --Pope.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible;
        gentle; kind.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;
              Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. --Tyndale.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild;
        conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A soft answer turneth away wrath.     --Prov. xv. 1.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A face with gladness overspread,
              Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.  --Wordsworth.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution
              of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft,
              and wandering.                        --Jer. Taylor.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              On her soft axle, white she paces even,
              And bears thee soft with the smooth air along.
                                                    --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     10. Weak in character; impressible.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
                                                    --Glanvill.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloq.]
         [1913 Webster]
  
               He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as
               were foolish quite mad.              --Burton.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not
         angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap;
         as, soft water is the best for washing.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     15. (Phonetics)
         (a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental
             consonant (as g in gem, c in cent, etc.) as
             distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go, c in
             cone, etc.); -- opposed to hard.
         (b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as
             distinguished from the surd, and considered as
             involving less force in utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v,
             etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc.
             [1913 Webster]
  
     Soft clam (Zo["o]l.), the common or long clam ({Mya
        arenaria). See Mya.
  
     Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from
        anthracite, or hard, coal.
  
     Soft crab (Zo["o]l.), any crab which has recently shed its
        shell.
  
     Soft dorsal (Zo["o]l.), the posterior part of the dorsal
        fin of fishes when supported by soft rays.
  
     Soft grass. (Bot.) See Velvet grass.
  
     Soft money, paper money, as distinguished from coin, or
        hard money. [Colloq. U.S.]
  
     Soft mute. (Phonetics) See Media.
  
     Soft palate. See the Note under Palate.
  
     Soft ray (Zo["o]l.), a fin ray which is articulated and
        usually branched.
  
     Soft soap. See under Soap.
  
     Soft-tack, leavened bread, as distinguished from
        hard-tack, or ship bread.
  
     Soft tortoise (Zo["o]l.), any river tortoise of the genus
        Trionyx. See Trionyx.
        [1913 Webster]

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :   [ web1913 ]

  Soap \Soap\, n. [OE. sope, AS. s[=a]pe; akin to D. zeep, G.
     seife, OHG. seifa, Icel. s[=a]pa, Sw. s?pa, Dan. s?be, and
     perhaps to AS. s[=i]pan to drip, MHG. s[=i]fen, and L. sebum
     tallow. Cf. Saponaceous.]
     A substance which dissolves in water, thus forming a lather,
     and is used as a cleansing agent. Soap is produced by
     combining fats or oils with alkalies or alkaline earths,
     usually by boiling, and consists of salts of sodium,
     potassium, etc., with the fatty acids (oleic, stearic,
     palmitic, etc.). See the Note below, and cf.
     Saponification. By extension, any compound of similar
     composition or properties, whether used as a cleaning agent
     or not.
  
     Note: In general, soaps are of two classes, hard and soft.
           Calcium, magnesium, lead, etc., form soaps, but they
           are insoluble and useless.
  
                 The purifying action of soap depends upon the
                 fact that it is decomposed by a large quantity of
                 water into free alkali and an insoluble acid
                 salt. The first of these takes away the fatty
                 dirt on washing, and the latter forms the soap
                 lather which envelops the greasy matter and thus
                 tends to remove it.                --Roscoe &
                                                    Schorlemmer.
  
     Castile soap, a fine-grained hard soap, white or mottled,
        made of olive oil and soda; -- called also Marseilles, or
        Venetian, soap.
  
     Hard soap, any one of a great variety of soaps, of
        different ingredients and color, which are hard and
        compact. All solid soaps are of this class.
  
     Lead soap, an insoluble, white, pliable soap made by
        saponifying an oil (olive oil) with lead oxide; -- used
        externally in medicine. Called also lead plaster,
        diachylon, etc.
  
     Marine soap. See under Marine.
  
     Pills of soap (Med.), pills containing soap and opium.
  
     Potash soap, any soap made with potash, esp. the soft
        soaps, and a hard soap made from potash and castor oil.
  
     Pumice soap, any hard soap charged with a gritty powder, as
        silica, alumina, powdered pumice, etc., which assists
        mechanically in the removal of dirt.
  
     Resin soap, a yellow soap containing resin, -- used in
        bleaching.
  
     Silicated soap, a cheap soap containing water glass (sodium
        silicate).
  
     Soap bark. (Bot.) See Quillaia bark.
  
     Soap bubble, a hollow iridescent globe, formed by blowing a
        film of soap suds from a pipe; figuratively, something
        attractive, but extremely unsubstantial.
  
              This soap bubble of the metaphysicians. --J. C.
                                                    Shairp.
  
     Soap cerate, a cerate formed of soap, olive oil, white wax,
        and the subacetate of lead, sometimes used as an
        application to allay inflammation.
  
     Soap fat, the refuse fat of kitchens, slaughter houses,
        etc., used in making soap.
  
     Soap liniment (Med.), a liniment containing soap, camphor,
        and alcohol.
  
     Soap nut, the hard kernel or seed of the fruit of the
        soapberry tree, -- used for making beads, buttons, etc.
  
     Soap plant (Bot.), one of several plants used in the place
        of soap, as the Chlorogalum pomeridianum, a California
        plant, the bulb of which, when stripped of its husk and
        rubbed on wet clothes, makes a thick lather, and smells
        not unlike new brown soap. It is called also soap apple,
        soap bulb, and soap weed.
  
     Soap tree. (Bot.) Same as Soapberry tree.
  
     Soda soap, a soap containing a sodium salt. The soda soaps
        are all hard soaps.
  
     Soft soap, a soap of a gray or brownish yellow color, and
        of a slimy, jellylike consistence, made from potash or the
        lye from wood ashes. It is strongly alkaline and often
        contains glycerin, and is used in scouring wood, in
        cleansing linen, in dyehouses, etc. Figuratively,
        flattery; wheedling; blarney. [Colloq.]
  
     Toilet soap, hard soap for the toilet, usually colored and
        perfumed.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :   [ web1913 ]

  Soft \Soft\, a. [Compar. Softer; superl. Softest.] [OE.
     softe, AS. s?fte, properly adv. of s?fte, adj.; akin to OS.
     s[=a]fto, adv., D. zacht, OHG. samfto, adv., semfti, adj., G.
     sanft, LG. sacht; of uncertain origin.]
     1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or
        cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also,
        malleable; -- opposed to hard; as, a soft bed; a soft
        peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal.
  
     2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth;
        delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin.
  
              They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses.
                                                    --Matt. xi. 8.
  
     3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating
        to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines. ``The
        soft, delicious air.'' --Milton.
  
     4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing
        to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent
        contrast; as, soft hues or tints.
  
              The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds .
              . . made the softest lights imaginable. --Sir T.
                                                    Browne.
  
     5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the
        ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music.
  
              Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low, -- an
              excellent thing in woman.             --Shak.
  
              Soft were my numbers; who could take offense?
                                                    --Pope.
  
     6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible;
        gentle; kind.
  
              I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;
              Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. --Shak.
  
              The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. --Tyndale.
  
     7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild;
        conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
  
              A soft answer turneth away wrath.     --Prov. xv. 1.
  
              A face with gladness overspread, Soft smiles, by
              human kindness bred.                  --Wordsworth.
  
     8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
  
              A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution
              of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft,
              and wandering.                        --Jer. Taylor.
  
     9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
  
              On her soft axle, white she paces even, And bears
              thee soft with the smooth air along.  --Milton.
  
     10. Weak in character; impressible.
  
               The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
                                                    --Glanvill.
  
     11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloq.]
  
               He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as
               were foolish quite mad.              --Burton.
  
     12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.
  
     13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not
         angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
  
     14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap;
         as, soft water is the best for washing.
  
     15. (Phonetics)
         (a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental
             consonant (as g in gem, c in cent, etc.) as
             distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go, c in
             cone, etc.); -- opposed to hard.
         (b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as
             distinguished from the surd, and considered as
             involving less force in utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v,
             etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc.
  
     Soft clam (Zo["o]l.), the common or long clam ({Mya
        arenaria). See Mya.
  
     Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from
        anthracite, or hard, coal.
  
     Soft crab (Zo["o]l.), any crab which has recently shed its
        shell.
  
     Soft dorsal (Zo["o]l.), the posterior part of the dorsal
        fin of fishes when supported by soft rays.
  
     Soft grass. (Bot.) See Velvet grass.
  
     Soft money, paper money, as distinguished from coin, or
        hard money. [Colloq. U.S.]
  
     Soft mute. (Phonetics) See Media.
  
     Soft palate. See the Note under Palate.
  
     Soft ray (Zo["o]l.), a fin ray which is articulated and
        usually branched.
  
     Soft soap. See under Soap.
  
     Soft-tack, leavened bread, as distinguished from
        hard-tack, or ship bread.
  
     Soft tortoise (Zo["o]l.), any river tortoise of the genus
        Trionyx. See Trionyx.

From WordNet (r) 2.0 :   [ wn ]

  soft soap
       n 1: flattery designed to gain favor [syn: blarney, coaxing,
            sweet talk]
       2: a soft (or liquid) soap made from vegetable oils; used in
          certain skin diseases [syn: green soap]

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]

  soft soap
     n.
     1 jellyish soap made by cooking natural oils and fats with potassium
  hydroxide
     2 any fluid or semifluid soap
     3 (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)
     vb.
     (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)

From English Wiktionary: English language only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-en-2023-07-27 ]

  soft soap
     n.
     1 jellyish soap made by cooking natural oils and fats with potassium
  hydroxide
     2 any fluid or semifluid soap
     3 (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)
     vb.
     (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)

From English Wiktionary: Western, Greek, and Slavonic languages only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western_Greek_Slavonic-2023-07-27 ]

  soft soap
     n.
     1 jellyish soap made by cooking natural oils and fats with potassium
  hydroxide
     2 any fluid or semifluid soap
     3 (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)
     vb.
     (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)

From English Wiktionary: Western languages only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western-2023-07-27 ]

  soft soap
     n.
     1 jellyish soap made by cooking natural oils and fats with potassium
  hydroxide
     2 any fluid or semifluid soap
     3 (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)
     vb.
     (alternative spelling of en soft-soap)

From English-Czech dicts.info/FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 :   [ freedict:eng-ces ]

  soft soap /sˈɒft sˈəʊp/ 
  lichocení

From English-Czech dicts.info/FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 :   [ freedict:eng-ces ]

  soft soap /sˈɒft sˈəʊp/ 
  lichotit

From English - German Ding/FreeDict dictionary ver. 1.9-fd1 :   [ freedict:eng-deu ]

  soft soap /sˈɒft sˈəʊp/
  Schmierseife 
   see: soft soaps
  

From English - German Ding/FreeDict dictionary ver. 1.9-fd1 :   [ freedict:eng-deu ]

  soft soap /sˈɒft sˈəʊp/
  Schmus , Wortgeklingel , Wortgeklimper , Süßholzraspeln , Schmäh  [Ös.]
     Synonyms: blarney, blandishments, smooth talk, sweet talk, soft words, honeyed words, soft sawder
  

From English-suomi FreeDict+WikDict dictionary ver. 2023.05.29 :   [ freedict:eng-fin ]

  soft soap /sˈɒft sˈəʊp/ 
  1. nestesaippua
  fluid or semifluid soap
  2. suopa
  soap made with potassium

From English-Croatian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.2.2 :   [ freedict:eng-hrv ]

  soft soap /sˈɒft sˈəʊp/
  blagi sapun

From English-Hungarian FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.2.1 :   [ freedict:eng-hun ]

  soft soap /sˈɒft sˈəʊp/
  1. kenôszappan
  2. hízelgés

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :   [ moby-thesaurus ]

  118 Moby Thesaurus words for "soft soap":
     Pecksniffery, Tartuffery, Tartuffism, adulation, advocate,
     allurement, be hypocritical, blandish, blandishment, blandness,
     blarney, bunkum, butter, butter up, cajole, cajolement, cajolery,
     call on, call upon, cant, coax, coaxing, compliment, conning,
     empty gesture, engagement, enlistment, exhort, exhortation,
     eyewash, fair words, false piety, fawning, flattery, fulsomeness,
     get around, give lip service, give mouth honor, glibness, grease,
     high-pressure, honey, honeyed phrases, honeyed words, hortation,
     hypocrisy, hypocriticalness, importune, incense, inducement,
     insist, insist upon, jawbone, jawboning, jolly, kid along,
     lay it on, lip service, lobby, lobbying, mealymouthedness, mouth,
     mouthing, mummery, nag, oil, oiliness, ostentatious devotion,
     overdo it, palaver, persuasion, pharisaism, play the hypocrite,
     play up to, plead with, praise, preaching, preachment, press,
     pressure, pretty lies, push, recommend, reek of piety, religiosity,
     render lip service, sales talk, salesmanship, sanctimoniousness,
     sanctimony, selling, smoothness, smugness, snivel, snow job,
     snuffle, snuffling, soap, soft words, soften up, solicitation,
     string along, stroke, suasion, suaveness, suavity, sweet nothings,
     sweet talk, sweet words, sweet-talk, sycophancy, tokenism,
     unctuousness, urge, wheedle, wheedling, work on, working on
  
  

From XDICT the English-Chinese dictionary :   [ xdict ]

     n. 软皂,奉承

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