a. [ Compar. Softer superl. Softest. ] [ OE. softe, AS. sōfte, properly adv. of sēfte, adj.; akin to OS. sāfto, 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 (Zool.), the common or long clam (Mya arenaria). See Mya. --
Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracite, or hard, coal. --
Soft crab (Zool.), any crab which has recently shed its shell. --
Soft dorsal (Zool.), 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 (Zool.), 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 (Zool.), any river tortoise of the genus Trionyx. See Trionyx. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

A knight soft riding toward them. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soft, you; a word or two before you go. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [ Colloq. ] G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Corruption of Per. sōkhtah one who burns, is ardent or zealous. ] Any one attached to a Mohammedan mosque, esp. a student of the higher branches of theology in a mosque school. [ Written also sophta. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become soft or softened, or less rude, harsh, severe, or obdurate. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Softened p. pr. & vb. n. Softening. ] To make soft or more soft. Specifically: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

(a) To render less hard; -- said of matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their arrow's point they soften in the flame. Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

(b) To mollify; to make less fierce or intractable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Diffidence conciliates the proud, and softens the severe. Rambler. [ 1913 Webster ]

(c) To palliate; to represent as less enormous; as, to soften a fault. [ 1913 Webster ]

(d) To compose; to mitigate; to assuage. [ 1913 Webster ]

Music can soften pain to ease. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

(e) To make calm and placid. [ 1913 Webster ]

All that cheers or softens life. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

(f) To make less harsh, less rude, less offensive, or less violent, or to render of an opposite quality. [ 1913 Webster ]

He bore his great commision in his look,
But tempered awe, and softened all he spoke. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

(g) To make less glaring; to tone down; as, to soften the coloring of a picture. [ 1913 Webster ]

(h) To make tender; to make effeminate; to enervate; as, troops softened by luxury. [ 1913 Webster ]

(i) To make less harsh or grating, or of a quality the opposite; as, to soften the voice. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, softens. [ Written also, less properly, softner. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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a. & n. from Soften, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

Softening of the brain, or
Cerebral softening (Med.), a localized softening of the brain substance, due to hemorrhage or inflammation. Three varieties, distinguished by their color and representing different stages of the morbid process, are known respectively as red, yellow, and white, softening. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having the fin rays cartilaginous or flexible; without spines; -- said of certain fishes. [ 1913 Webster ]