soaplessadj.
/ˈsəʊplɪs/ a. Lacking soap; esp. unwashed, dirty.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirty person > [adjective] > unwashed (of persons)
unwasheda1616
untoileted1819
soapless1825
unlaving1834
unsoaped1837
bathless1889
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing agents > [adjective] > soap > lacking soap
soapless1825
1825 T. Hook Sayings & Doings 2nd Ser. III. 41 The washing-stand [was] soapless.
1828 E. Bulwer-Lytton Pelham II. xii. 120 The offered hand of his new friend..was of a marvellous dingy and soapless aspect.
1858 ‘G. Eliot’ in J. W. Cross George Eliot's Life (1885) II. 16 Something more piteous almost than soapless poverty.
1906 Westm. Gaz. 20 Jan. 5/1 I am left soapless, candleless, and forlorn.
b. Of shampoo, detergent, etc.: not containing soap.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing agents > [adjective] > soap > not containing soap
soapless1936
1936 Chemist & Druggist CXXIV. 56/2 The alternative to sulphonated lorol [sic] for soapless shampoos is saponin.
1959 Which? Nov. 152/2 All the liquid and cream shampoos, since they are all based on very similar soapless detergents, would clean the hair effectively in hard or soft water.
1966 J. Stevens Cox Illustr. Dict. Hairdressing & Wigmaking 140/1 Sulphonated vegetable oils are also used in another type of soapless detergent.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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adj.1825