Soft (?), a. [Compar.
Softer (?); superl. Softest.] [OE.
softe, AS. s?fte, properly adv. of s?fte,
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.
2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch;
smooth; delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft
skin.
They that wear soft clothing are in king's
houses.
Matt. xi. 8.
3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale;
not irritating to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft
wines. "The soft, delicious air." Milton.
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.
The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds . .
. made the softest lights imaginable.
Sir T.
Browne.
5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and
pleasing to the ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of
music.
Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, -- an excellent thing in woman.
Shak.
Soft were my numbers; who could take
offense?
Pope.
6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence;
flexible; gentle; kind.
I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;
Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine.
Shak.
The meek or soft shall inherit the
earth.
Tyndale.
7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the
like; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft
eyes.
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
Prov. xv. 1.
A face with gladness overspread,
Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.
Wordsworth.
8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly,
weak.
A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution of
the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, and
wandering.
Jer. Taylor.
9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
On her soft axle, white she paces even,
And bears thee soft with the smooth air along.
Milton.
10. Weak in character; impressible.
The deceiver soon found this soft place of
Adam's.
Glanvill.
11. Somewhat weak in intellect.
[Colloq.]
He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as
were foolish quite mad.
Burton.
12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as,
soft slumbers.
13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve
or curves; not angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to
decompose soap; as, soft water is the best for
washing.
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.
Soft clam (Zoöl.), the common or
long clam (Mya arenaria). See Mya. -- Soft
coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from
anthracite, or hard, coal. -- Soft
crab (Zoöl.), any crab which has recently
shed its shell. -- Soft dorsal
(Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.),
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 (Zoöl.), any river tortoise of the
genus Trionyx. See Trionyx.