# soap
## English
### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /soʊp/
* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /səʊp/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Audio (UK):(file)
* Rhymes: -əʊp

### Etymology 1

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.

#### Noun

soap (countable and uncountable, plural soaps)
* (chemistry) A metallic salt derived from a fatty acid, commonly used in cleaning products.
* (countable, uncountable, informal, by extension, mineralogy) 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.
* (slang) Money, specially when used as a bribe.
* (countable, informal) A soap opera.
* (countable) A solid masonry unit or brick reduced in depth or height from standard dimensions.

##### Alternative forms

* sope (obsolete)

##### Derived 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
* hand soap
* 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
* no soap
* paste soap
* poor man's soap
* quicksilver soap
* rock soap
* saddle soap
* saltwater soap
* sandsoap
* shave soap
* shaving soap
* soap acacia
* soapball
* soap bar
* soapbark
* soapberry
* soapbloom
* soapbox
* soap box
* soap boy
* soap brick
* soap bubble
* soapcurd
* soap dish
* soap dispenser
* soap dodger
* soap-dodging
* soapery
* soap film
* soap flake
* soap foam
* soap gourd
* soapland
* soapless soap
* soaplock
* soapmaker
* soapmaking
* soapman
* soap night
* soapnut
* soap opera
* soap-operatic
* soap pad
* soap pan
* soap plant
* soap ring
* soaprock
* soaproot
* soap scum
* soap shaker
* soapstar
* soapstock
* soapstone
* soap suds
* soapsuds
* soap test
* soaptree
* soap tree
* soap up
* soapweed
* soapwell
* soapwood
* soapworks
* soapwort
* soapy
* sodium soap
* soft soap
* soft-soap
* Spanish soap
* stainless steel soap
* sugar soap
* sulfur soap
* sulphur soap
* supersoap
* Syrian soap
* Venetian soap
* Venice soap
* wash one's brain out with soap
* Windsor soap
* yellow soap

##### Descendants

* Sranan Tongo: sopo
** → Kari'na: sopo
** → Trió: sopo
** → Wayana: sopu
* Tok Pisin: sop
* → Ajië: yööpö
* → Bemba: isopo
* → Burmese: ဆပ်ပြာ (hcappra)
** → Shan: သပ်ႉပျႃႇ (sâ̰p pjàa)
* → Chichewa: sopo
* → Dutch: soap
* → French: soap
* → German: Soap
* → Irish: sópa
* → Malayalam: സോപ്പ് (sōppŭ)
* → Maori: hopi
* → Marshallese: joob
* → Palauan: sob
* → Pohnpeian: sohpw
* → Tamil: சோப்பு (cōppu)
* → Teribe: söp
* → West Uvean: sop
* → Xârâcùù: söpö

##### See also

* body wash
* shampoo
* shower gel
* wash-ball

##### References

* The Free Dictionary definitions from various other dictionaries
* Soaping Masonry

#### Verb

soap (third-person singular simple present soaps, present participle soaping, simple past and past participle soaped)
* (transitive) To apply soap to in washing.
    Be sure to soap yourself well before rinsing.
* (transitive, informal) To cover, lather, or in any other manner treat with soap, often as a prank.
    Those kids soaped my windows!
* (transitive, informal) To be discreet about (a topic).
    Synonyms: soft-soap, soft-pedal, sugar soap, downplay
* (slang, dated) To flatter; to wheedle.

##### Derived terms

* resoap
* soap down
* soap off

##### Translations
#### Related terms

* soaper
* saponification

#### See also

* soap on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Etymology 2

Probably an abbreviation of sodium pentothal.

#### Noun

soap (uncountable)
* (slang) thiopental (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.

### Anagrams

* AOPs, AOSP, OAPs, OSAP, PAOs, Paos, Paso, SOPA, Sapo, poas, sapo-

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from English soap. Doublet of zeep.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /soːp/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: soap
* Rhymes: -oːp

### Noun

soap f (plural soaps, diminutive soapje n)
* soap opera

### Anagrams

* opa's

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from English soap.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sop/

### Noun

soap m (plural soaps)
* soap opera

### Anagrams

* posa