soapstone

S1O1A1P3S1T1O1N1E1
US/ˈsoʊpˌstoʊn/

noun

A soft rock, rich in talc, also containing serpentine and either magnetite, dolomite or calcite.

Similar
soaprocksteatitesaponitesoap-rock
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounsoapstone (countable and uncountable, plural soapstones)

plural soapstones

  1. countableuncountablegeographyA soft rock, rich in talc, also containing serpentine and either magnetite, dolomite or calcite.

    To have a reliable fire, you'll need to carve a lamp from soapstone (you know what soapstone looks like, right?), render some oil for the lamp from blubber, and make a wick out of a particular species of moss.

    2016, Joseph Henrich, chapter 3, in The Secret of Our Success […] , Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN

    Synonyms: soaprock, steatite

  2. countableuncountablechemistrySynonym of saponite.

    Synonyms: saponite

verbsoapstone (third-person singular simple present soapstones, present participle soapstoning, simple past and past participle soapstoned)

present singular third person soapstones · participle present soapstoning · participle past soapstoned · past soapstoned

  1. transitiveTo scrub with soapstone.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA soft rock, rich in talc, also containing serpentine and either magnetite, dolomite or calcite.

Similar
soaprocksteatite

nounSynonym of saponite.

Similar
saponite

More synonyms by meaning

nouna soft heavy compact variety of talc having a soapy feel; used to make hearths and tabletops and ornaments

Similar
soaprocksoap-rocksteatite
Broader
talctalcum
Also see
saponitesoaprocksteatite

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

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.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian стеатит, талкохлорит
  • стеатит (steatit)soft rock
  • талкохлорит (talkohlorit)soft rock
Catalan esteatita
  • esteatitasoft rock
Chinese Mandarin 皂石
  • 皂石 (zàoshí)soft rock
Dutch speksteen
  • speksteensoft rock
Finnish vuolukivi, saippuakivi
  • vuolukivisoft rock
  • saippuakivisoft rock
French stéatite
  • stéatitesoft rock
German Speckstein
  • Specksteinsoft rock
Greek στεατίτης, σαπουνόπετρα
  • στεατίτης (steatítis)soft rock
  • σαπουνόπετρα (sapounópetra)soft rock
Hindi सिलखड़ी
  • सिलखड़ी (silkhaṛī)soft rock
Hungarian szappankő
  • szappankősoft rock
Italian steatite, pietra saponaria
  • steatitesoft rock
  • pietra saponariasoft rock
Korean 동석
  • 동석 (dongseok)soft rock
Norwegian Bokmål kleberstein
  • klebersteinsoft rock
Persian استاتیت
  • استاتیت (astatat)soft rock
Polish steatyt
  • steatytsoft rock
Portuguese pedra-sabão
  • pedra-sabãosoft rock
Russian мы́льный ка́мень, талькохлори́т
  • мы́льный ка́мень (mýlʹnyj kámenʹ)soft rock
  • талькохлори́т (talʹkoxlorít)soft rock
  • стеати́т (steatít)soft rock
  • та́льковый ка́мень (tálʹkovyj kámenʹ)soft rock
  • жирови́к (žirovík)soft rock
Spanish esteatita, roca de jabón
  • esteatitasoft rock
  • roca de jabónsoft rock
Swedish täljsten
  • täljstensoft rock
Turkish sabun taşı
  • sabun taşısoft rock
Ukrainian жировик, стеатит
  • жировик (žyrovyk)soft rock
  • стеатит (steatyt)soft rock
Welsh sebonfaen
  • sebonfaensoft rock
Cite this entry
APA

soapstone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soapstone

MLA

“soapstone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soapstone. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soapstone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soapstone.

Source: soapstone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.