soft

soft
\ \ [OE] Soft goes back to a prehistoric West Germanic *samft-, which also produced German sanftgentle, easy, smooth’ and Dutch zachtsoft’. It may go back ultimately to the prehistoric base *sōrn- ‘fitting, agreeable’, source of English seem and seemly.
\ \ Cf.SEEM, SEEMLY

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • soft — soft …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • soft — W2S2 [sɔft US so:ft] adj comparative softer superlative softest ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(not hard)¦ 2¦(not rough)¦ 3¦(not loud)¦ 4¦(colour/light)¦ 5¦(no hard edges)¦ 6¦(rain/wind)¦ 7¦(not strict)¦ …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 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.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • soft´ly — soft «sft, soft», adjective, adverb, noun, interjection. –adj. 1. a) not hard; yielding readily to touch or pressure: »a soft tomato, soft ground, a soft bed. b) easily bent without breaking; not stiff; flexible: »Oil keeps leather soft.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • soft — [ sɔft ] adjective *** ▸ 1 not stiff/firm/rough ▸ 2 gentle/pleasant ▸ 3 kind/sympathetic/gentle ▸ 4 not difficult ▸ 5 about water ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) a soft substance is easy to press or shape and is not hard or firm: George tripped, falling into… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • soft — [sɒft ǁ sɒːft] adjective 1. COMMERCE soft goods are used up soon after they are bought, for example food products: • Ohio s manufacturing base covers a wide range of soft and hard goods. • a soft commodity trader 2. FINANCE soft loans or soft… …   Financial and business terms

  • soft — adj Soft, bland, mild, gentle, smooth, lenient, balmy are applied to things with respect to the sensations they evoke or the impressions they produce and mean pleasantly agreeable because devoid of all harshness or roughness. Soft is applied… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • soft — [sôft, säft] adj. [ME < OE softe, gentle, quiet < sefte, akin to Ger sanft < IE base * sem , together, together with > SMOOTH, SAME: basic sense “fitting, friendly, suited to”] 1. giving way easily under pressure, as a feather pillow… …   English World dictionary

  • soft — agg.inv. ES ingl. {{wmetafile0}} 1. che ha caratteri o toni sfumati, tenui, attenuati: film soft, illuminazione soft, arredamento dalla linea soft 2. che comunica sensazioni gradevoli, piacevoli o rilassanti: musica soft, atmosfera, ambiente soft …   Dizionario italiano

  • soft — sȯft adj 1) yielding to physical pressure 2) deficient in or free from substances (as calcium and magnesium salts) that prevent lathering of soap <soft water> 3) having relatively low energy <soft X rays> 4) BIODEGRADABLE <soft… …   Medical dictionary

  • soft — Adj weich, sanft per. Wortschatz fremd. Erkennbar fremd (20. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. soft, das mit sanft verwandt ist. Unter Software werden in der EDV Technik die nicht unmittelbar zu den Geräten gehörigen Gebrauchsteile (Programme usw …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

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