soft
part of speech
adjective (soft, softer, softest); adverb softly
meaning for a pupil
1) Not hard or firm; easy to press or bend: a soft pillow. tree →
2) Smooth and nice to touch: soft fur. tree →
3) Quiet and gentle: a soft voice, soft music. tree →
4) Not bright: soft light. tree →
5) Kind and gentle, or too easy on people: soft on rules. tree →
6) Soft drinks: drinks without alcohol. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In Sefer Yetzirah, soft is one of the two sounds of the seven double letters, the opposite of hard. In Proverbs a soft answer or soft tongue means gentle speech that calms anger and can even break a bone, meaning it overcomes great resistance. Interpretation: The pairs of hard and soft sounds are read as a sign of the opposites in the world, such as strength and weakness, which the letters carry. The tradition reads Proverbs as teaching that gentle words are stronger than harsh ones. In the primary lessons: In science: materials can be hard or soft; soft materials (cotton, wool, sponge) bend or squash; testing materials for a job. In stories: soft voices and soft light make calm scenes. In everyday life: soft toys, soft drinks (fizzy or sweet drinks). Phrases: soft toy, soft drink, soft voice, soft spot for, soft-boiled egg, softly spoken.
examples
- A soft and hard structure, a strong and weak structure. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
- The two sounds of each letter are the hard and the soft—the aspirated and the softened. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
- The two sounds of each letter are the hard and the soft — the aspirated and the softened. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
- A soft answer turneth away wrath; but a grievous word stirreth up anger. (Writings PRO.15.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. (Writings PRO.25.15, JPS 1917) tree →
- Will he make many supplications unto thee? or will he speak soft words unto thee? (Writings JOB.40.27, JPS 1917) tree →
- The kitten has soft fur. tree →
- My pillow is soft. tree →
- She spoke in a soft voice. tree →
- Clay is soft before it dries. tree →
- Butter goes soft in the sun. tree →
- I sleep with my soft toy. tree →
- Sponge is a soft material. tree →
- Grandpa has a soft spot for our dog. tree →
- Too many soft drinks are bad for your teeth. tree →
- Then a soft voice cried from the parlour: tree →
note
Comparisons: softer, softest. Opposites: hard (material), loud (sound), rough (touch). «Soften» (the t is silent) = to make soft.
In the corpora
- Watering her ridges abundantly, settling down the furrows thereof, Thou makest her soft with showers; Thou blessest the growth thereof.
- A soft answer turneth away wrath; but a grievous word stirreth up anger.
- By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
- Will he make many supplications unto thee? or will he speak soft words unto thee?
- Blowing too hard makes a recorder jump up to a shrill squeal; a soft, steady breath gives a clear note.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «soft» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.