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Wiktionary

touch

See also: Touch

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English touchen, tochen, from Old French tochier (“to touch”) (whence Modern French toucher; compare French doublet toquer (“to offend, bother, harass”)), from Vulgar Latin *tuccō (“to knock, strike, offend”), from Frankish *tukkōn (“to knock, strike, touch”), from Proto-Germanic *tukkōną (“to tug, grab, grasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to draw, pull, lead”). Displaced native Middle English rinen, from Old English hrīnan (whence Modern English rine).

cognates

Cognate with Old High German zochhōn, zuhhōn (“to grasp, take, seize, snatch”) (whence German zucken (“to jerk, flinch”)), German Low German tucken, tocken (“to fidget, twitch, pull up, entice, throb, knock, repeatedly tap”), Middle Dutch tocken, tucken (“to touch, entice”) (whence Dutch tokkelen (“to strum, pluck”)), Old English tucian, tūcian (“to disturb, mistreat”) (whence Modern English tuck). Compare also Old High German tokkōn, tockōn (“to abut, collide”). Outside Germanic, cognate to Albanian cek (“to touch”), Old Church Slavonic тъкнѫти (tŭknǫti). More at tuck, take.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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touch (third-person singular simple present touches, present participle touching, simple past and past participle touched)

  1. Primarily physical senses.
    1. (transitive) To make physical contact with; to bring the hand, finger or other part of the body into contact with. [from 14th c.]
      Synonyms: contact; see also Thesaurus:feel
      I touched his face softly.
      • 1803, Walter Savage Landor, “Book VI”, in Gebir; a Poem: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Slatter and Munday; and sold by R. S. Kirby, […], →OCLC, page 107:
        While thus she spake, / She toucht his eye-lashes with libant lip / And breath'd ambrosial odours; […]
    2. (transitive) To come into (involuntary) contact with; to meet or intersect. [from 14th c.]
      Sitting on the bench, the hem of her skirt touched the ground.
    3. (intransitive) To come into physical contact, or to be in physical contact. [from 14th c.]
      They stood next to each other, their shoulders touching.
    4. (intransitive) To make physical contact with a thing. [from 14th c.]
      Please can I have a look, if I promise not to touch?
    5. (transitive) To physically disturb; to interfere with, molest, or attempt to harm through contact. [from 14th c.]
      If you touch her, I'll kill you.
    6. (transitive) To make intimate physical contact with a person.
      Synonyms: caress, fondle, grope
      The man was arrested for touching a girl without her consent.
    7. (transitive or reflexive) To sexually excite with the fingers; to finger or masturbate. [from 20th c.]
      Her parents had caught her touching herself when she was fifteen.
    8. (transitive) To cause to be briefly in contact with something.
      He quickly touched his knee to the worn marble.
      The demonstrator nearly touched the rod on the ball.
      She touched her lips to the glass.
    9. (transitive) To physically affect in specific ways implied by context. [from 15th c.]
      Frankly, this wood's so strong that sandpaper won't touch it.
    10. (transitive) To consume, or otherwise use. [from 15th c.]
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:ingest
      Are you all right? You've hardly touched your lunch.
      • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
        But Richmond […] appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw […] that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.
    11. (intransitive) Of a ship or its passengers: to land, to make a short stop (at). [from 16th c.]
    12. (transitive, now historical) To lay hands on (someone suffering from scrofula) as a form of cure, as formerly practised by English and French monarchs. [from 17th c.]
      • 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 189:
        But in fact the English kings of the seventeenth century usually began to touch form the day of their accession, without waiting for any such consecration.
    13. (intransitive, obsolete) To fasten; to take effect; to make impression.
      • 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
        Strong waters pierce metals, and will touch upon gold, that will not touch upon silver.
    14. (nautical) To bring (a sail) so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
    15. (intransitive, nautical) To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
    16. (nautical) To keep the ship as near (the wind) as possible.
      to touch the wind
  2. Primarily non-physical senses.
    1. (transitive) To imbue or endow with a specific quality. [from 14th c.]
      • 1988 April 9, Vicki Gabriner, “Dancing for the Living and the Dead”, in Gay Community News, page 6:
        This year, J. Allen Collier, the artistic director and producer, invited choreographers to create dance pieces exploring the multi-faceted responses to the AIDS crisis. This thematic unity touched the show with additional solemnity and grace.
      My grandfather, as many people know, was touched with greatness.
    2. (transitive, archaic) To deal with in speech or writing; to mention briefly, to allude to. [from 14th c.]
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:mention
      • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
        , I.2.4.vii:
        Next to sorrow still I may annex such accidents as procure fear; for besides those terrors which I have before touched, […] there is a superstitious fear […] which much trouble many of us.
    3. (intransitive) To deal with in speech or writing; briefly to speak or write (on or upon something). [from 14th c.]
      Synonyms: refer; see also Thesaurus:pertain
    4. (transitive) To concern, to have to do with. [14th–19th c.]
      • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts:
        Men of Israhell take hede to youreselves what ye entende to do as touchinge these men.
      • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
        The stories did not seem to me to touch life. They were plainly intended to have a bracing moral effect, and perhaps had this result for the people at whom they were aimed. They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.
      • 1919, Saki, ‘The Penance’, The Toys of Peace, Penguin 2000 (Complete Short Stories), page 423:
        And now it seemed he was engaged in something which touched them closely, but must be hidden from their knowledge.
    6. (transitive) To affect emotionally; to bring about tender or painful feelings in. [from 14th c.]
      Synonyms: affect, move, stir
      Stefan was touched by the song's message of hope.
    7. (transitive, dated) To affect in a negative way, especially only slightly. [from 16th c.]
      He had been drinking over lunch, and was clearly touched.
    8. (transitive, Scottish history) To give royal assent to by touching it with the sceptre. [from 17th c.]
      The bill was finally touched after many hours of deliberation.
    9. (transitive, slang) To obtain money from, usually by borrowing (from a friend). [from 18th c.]
      I was running short, so I touched old Bertie for a fiver.
    10. (transitive, always passive) To disturb the mental functions of; to make somewhat insane; often followed with "in the head". [from 18th c.]
      Synonyms: dement; see also Thesaurus:becraze
      You must be touched if you think I'm taking your advice.
    11. (transitive, in negative constructions) To be on the level of; to approach in excellence or quality. [from 19th c.]
      Synonyms: match, rival; see also Thesaurus:be equal
      • 1928, Dorothy L. Sayers, “The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers”, in Lord Peter Views the Body:
        There was his mistress, Maria Morano. I don't think I've ever seen anything to touch her, and when you work for the screen [as I do] you're apt to have a pretty exacting standard of female beauty.
      • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 6, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 118:
        'Lind Arden was a great genius, one of the greatest tragic actresses in the world. As Lady Macbeth, as Magda, there was no one to touch her.'
    12. (transitive) To come close to; to approach.
      Synonym: near
      • 2012 July 15, Richard Williams, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track‎[1], Guardian Unlimited:
        On Sunday afternoon it was as dark as night, with barely room for two riders abreast on a gradient that touches 20%.
    13. (transitive, computing) To mark (a file or document) as having been modified.
  3. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone.
    Synonym: test
  4. To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush.
    • 1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC:
      The lines, though touched but faintly, are drawn right.
  5. (obsolete) To infect; to affect slightly.
  6. To strike; to manipulate; to play on.
    to touch an instrument of music
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      [They] touched their golden harps.
  7. To perform, as a tune; to play.
  8. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      No decree of mine, […] [to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will.

Conjugation

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Conjugation of touch
infinitive (to) touch
present tense past tense
1st-person singular touch touched, toucht†
2nd-person singular touch, touchest† touched, touchedst†, toucht†
3rd-person singular touches, toucheth† touched, toucht†
plural touch
subjunctive touch touched, toucht†
imperative touch —
participles touching touched, toucht†

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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touch (countable and uncountable, plural touches)

  1. An act of touching, especially with the hand or finger.
    Synonyms: contact, contaction, taction
    Suddenly, in the crowd, I felt a touch at my shoulder.
  2. The faculty or sense of perception by physical contact.
    Synonyms: tactition; see also Thesaurus:tactition
    With the lights out, she had to rely on touch to find her desk.
  3. The style or technique with which one plays a musical instrument.
    He performed one of Ravel's piano concertos with a wonderfully light and playful touch.
  4. (music) The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers.
    a heavy touch, or a light touch
  5. A distinguishing feature or characteristic.
    Synonyms: trait; see also Thesaurus:characteristic
    Clever touches like this are what make her such a brilliant writer.
  6. A little bit; a small amount.
    Synonyms: smidgen; see also Thesaurus:modicum
    Move it left just a touch and it will be perfect.
    I'd like to see a touch more enthusiasm in the project.
    • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
      Madam, I have a touch of your condition.
    • 1886, “The Masked Bob-white (Colinus ridgewayi) of Arizona, and its Allies”, in Joel Asaph Allen, editor, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History, page 282:
      In another example, there are a few touches of white above the eye, and a white postocular stripe, which becomes quite broad where it terminates on the side of the neck.
    • 1894, “From Month to Month”, in The Chronicle of the London Missionary Society‎[2], number 33, Readers Union, →OCLC, page 220:
      We had looked forward to four or five days' work in Ying-shan similar to that in Yün-mung, but at the end of our two days' walk from the one city to the other (they lie more than fifty miles apart), Mr. Terrell had a touch of fever, so we judged it best to remain in Ying-shan only for a day and then travel as quickly as possible by chair to Teh-ngan to consult our good friend, Dr. Morley, of the Wesleyan Mission Hospital in that city, and from thence take boat for Hankow....
  7. The part of a sports field beyond the touchlines or goal-lines.
    He got the ball, and kicked it straight out into touch.
  8. A relationship of close communication or understanding.
    Synonyms: connection, contact
    He promised to keep in touch while he was away.
    lose touch
  9. The ability to perform a task well; aptitude.
    Synonyms: proficiency; see also Thesaurus:skill
    I used to be a great chess player but I've lost my touch.
    • 2011 September 29, Jon Smith, “Tottenham 3 - 1 Shamrock Rovers”, in BBC Sport‎[3]:
      Rovers' hopes of pulling off one of the great European shocks of all time lasted just 10 minutes before Spurs finally found their scoring touch.
  10. (obsolete) Act or power of exciting emotion.
  11. (obsolete) An emotion or affection.
    Synonyms: feeling; see also Thesaurus:emotion
  12. (obsolete) Personal reference or application.
  13. A single stroke on a drawing or a picture.
    • 1695, John Dryden, The Art of Painting:
      Never give the least touch with your pencil till you have well examined your design.
  14. (obsolete) A brief essay.
    Synonyms: essayette, essaylet, miniessay
  15. (obsolete) A touchstone; hence, stone of the sort used for touchstone.
  16. (obsolete) Examination or trial by some decisive standard; test; proof; tried quality.
  17. (shipbuilding) The broadest part of a plank worked top and but, or of one worked anchor-stock fashion (that is, tapered from the middle to both ends); also, the angles of the stern timbers at the counters.
    • 1711, William Sutherland, The Ship-Builder's Assistant:
      Set off the exact Length forward and aftward from the Observation of the rising of the Keel, by Shipwrights called the Touch, or Place where the Keel's upper Part ends to be streight.
  18. The children's game of tag.
    Synonyms: it; see also Thesaurus:tag
  19. (bell-ringing) A set of changes less than the total possible on seven bells, i.e. less than 5,040.
  20. (slang) An act of borrowing or stealing something; a request for money.
    • 1821, David Haggart, Life of David Haggart, 2nd edition, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne & Co, page 105:
      But towards evening I got a touch at a cove's suck, and eased him of twenty-two quids and a lil, which I took in the usual manner, when he was entering the inn door.
    • 2017, Mike Houlihan, Nothin's On The Square: 82 Days on the Mayoral Campaign:
      Supposedly Pickle has a line on a group of wealthy donors who were about to make a big drop on Chuy's campaign, now that he is in the runoff. I ask Pickle about the timing of this donation because Crawford and I are about to put the touch on the campaign for another five grand.
    • 2023, Jo Draxler, A Single Breath of Air:
      Brody would have to pay her, so if all else failed she would have some control. She would have sex on her terms, not his. She would give him the relief he craved, and also relieve him of 500 quid while she was at it. A sweet little touch to keep her ahead of the game.
  21. (slang) The extent to which a person is interested or affected; the amount of outlay on something.
    Synonyms: consideration, expenditure, payment
    • 1804, William Henry Ireland, The Woman of Feeling, volume 2, page 232:
      Such was Tim Whiffle on the Sunday, with the addition of a cane to indicate riding, it is true he had long had a penchant to a pair of spurs but did not as yet sport them, although a half crown touch at some livery stables was positively decided upon in his own mind, though hitherto the dread of a fall from a horse had prevented the execution of his magnanimous plan.
  22. (UK, plumbing, dated) Tallow.
  23. Form; standard of performance.
  24. (Australian rules football) A disposal of the ball during a game, i.e. a kick or a handball.
  25. (chiefly Australia) touch football (a variant of rugby league that does not involve tackling)

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

References

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  1. ^ Stanley, Oma (1937) “I. Vowel Sounds in Stressed Syllables”, in The Speech of East Texas (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 2), New York: Columbia University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 12, page 27.
  2. ^ Hall, Joseph Sargent (1942 March 2) “1. The Vowel Sounds of Stressed Syllables”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York: King's Crown Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 11, page 41.

Further reading

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  • “touch”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

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Italian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English touch (screen).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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touch (invariable)

  1. (technology) being touch screen (of a screen)

Portuguese

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English touch (screen).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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touch (invariable)

  1. (technology) being touch screen (of a screen)

Spanish

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Adjective

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touch (invariable)

  1. touch; touch-screen
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