soapstone

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A soft rock, rich in talc, also containing serpentine and either magnetite, dolomite or calcite.
2. (countable, uncountable) Synonym of saponite.

Verb

To scrub with soapstone.

Synonyms

steatite

soaprock

soap-rock

talc

talcum

bowlingite

steatile

mountain soap

piotine

chord

soap earth

soap stone

clay for pottery

stone implement

saponite

Translations

Speckstein

steatite

stéatite

lardite

sabuntaşı

esteatite

στεατίτης

esteatita

pierre à savon

zeepsteen

Esteatite

esteatita

craie de briançon

Saponit

Seifenstein

Etymology

From soap + stone; so called because the archetypal varieties of the stone resemble soap in multiple ways: their feel, appearance, and carvability. First use appears c. 1681, in the writings of Nehemiah Grew.