soapstone

[ sohp-stohn ]

noun
  1. a massive variety of talc with a soapy or greasy feel, used for hearths, washtubs, tabletops, carved ornaments, etc.

Origin of soapstone

1
First recorded in 1675–85; soap + stone

Words Nearby soapstone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use soapstone in a sentence

  • The Piedmont also has a great variety of rocks, including granite and soapstone which are currently commercially important.

  • Sammy soapstone had blue eyes and tow hair which stood up straight on his head.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • Sophy soapstone had blue eyes, too, and two neat little pigtails down her back.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • Glass is liable to crack, while lava or the soapstone insulating bushings absorb oil.

    Aviation Engines | Victor Wilfred Pag
  • They use in making the copies a limestone of fine and compact grain, soapstone, serpentine and alabaster.

    Scarabs | Isaac Myer

British Dictionary definitions for soapstone

soapstone

/ (ˈsəʊpˌstəʊn) /


noun
  1. a massive compact soft variety of talc, used for making tabletops, hearths, ornaments, etc: Also called: steatite

Origin of soapstone

1
C17: so called because it has a greasy feel and was sometimes used as soap

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for soapstone

soapstone

[ sōpstōn′ ]


  1. A soft metamorphic rock composed mostly of the mineral talc, but also including chlorite, pyroxene, and amphibole. It has a schistose texture and is greasy to the touch. Soapstone forms through the alteration of ferromagnesian silicate minerals during metamorphism.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.