Standard Lemma guide

soapwort

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈsoʊp.wɔːɹt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any perennial herb of the genus Saponaria.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: latherwort, my lady's washbowl

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

plant of European origin having pink or white flowers and leaves yielding a detergent when bruised

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hedge pink, bouncing Bet, bouncing Bess, Saponaria officinalis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: flower

History

Etymology

From soap + wort, from the soapy matter formed when the leaves are agitated in water.

Across languages

Translations

64 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: غَاسُول (ḡāsūl) — herb
  • Arabic: شِرْش الْحَلاوَة (širš al-ḥalāwa) — herb
  • Arabic: عِرْق الْحَلاوَة (ʕirq al-ḥalāwa) — herb
  • Arabic: صَابُونِيَّة (ṣābūniyya) — herb
  • Arabic: عَصْلَج (ʔaṣlaj) — herb
  • Arabic: عَسْلَج (ʔaslaj) — herb
  • Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אשלג (ʾǎšlag) — herb
  • Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: שלגא (šulgā) — herb
  • Armenian: փրփրիկ (pʻrpʻrik) — herb
  • Armenian: օճառախոտ (ōčaṙaxot) — herb
  • Azerbaijani: sabunotu — herb
  • Basque: xaboi-belar — herb
  • Belarusian: мыльнік (mylʹnik) — herb
  • Breton: louzaouenn-ar-soavon — herb
  • Bulgarian: сапунче (sapunče) — herb
  • Catalan: saponària — herb
  • Catalan: sabonera — herb
  • Corsican: sapunella — herb
  • Czech: mydlice — herb
  • Danish: sæbeurt — herb
  • Dutch: zeepkruid — herb
  • Erzya: сапонькай (sapońkaj) — herb
  • Esperanto: saponario — herb
  • Finnish: suopayrtti — herb
  • French: saponaire — herb
  • Friulian: savonarie — herb
  • Galician: saponaria — herb
  • Galician: xaboeira — herb
  • Georgian: საპონა (saṗona) — herb
  • German: Seifenkraut — herb
  • Ancient Greek: στρούθιον (stroúthion) — herb
  • Hebrew: בורית (borít) — herb
  • Hungarian: szappanfű — herb
  • Ido: saponario — herb
  • Irish: garbhán creagach — herb
  • Italian: saponaria — herb
  • Japanese: サポナリア (saponaria) — herb
  • Kazakh: сабыншөп (sabynşöp) — herb
  • Latvian: ziepjusakne — herb
  • Lithuanian: putoklis — herb
  • Neapolitan: sapunella — herb
  • Ossetian: сапонгӕрдӕг (sapongærdæg) — herb
  • Persian: صابونی — herb
  • Persian: غاسول — herb
  • Polish: mydlnica — herb
  • Portuguese: saponária — herb
  • Romanian: odagaci — herb
  • Romanian: ciuin — herb
  • Romanian: săpunariță — herb
  • Russian: мыльня́нка (mylʹnjánka) — herb
  • Russian: сапона́рия (saponárija) — herb
  • Slovak: mydlica — herb
  • Lower Sorbian: mydłowina — herb
  • Upper Sorbian: mydlica — herb
  • Spanish: saponaria — herb
  • Spanish: jabonaria — herb
  • Swedish: såpnejlika — herb
  • Turkish: sabun otu — herb
  • Turkish: çöven — herb
  • Turkish: helvacı kökü — herb
  • Turkish: sabun çiçeği — herb
  • Ottoman Turkish: صابون اوتی (sabun otu) — herb
  • Ottoman Turkish: چوغان (çoğan) — herb
  • Ukrainian: мильня́нка (mylʹnjánka) — herb