Soft , interj. Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.

Soft, you; a word or two before you go. Shak.

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 kings 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 Edwards; Or Edwards 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 Adams." 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.

Soft , adv. Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly. Chaucer.

A knight soft riding toward them. Spenser.

Soft (?), n. A soft or foolish person; an idiot. [Colloq.] G. Eliot.

-- Webster's unabridged 1913