touch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: tŭch
ipa: /tʌt͡ʃ/
enpr: tĕch
ipa: /tɛt͡ʃ/
enpr: tŏch
ipa: /tɑt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ʌtʃ
Forms: form: touches
Etymology: 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”). Largely displaced native Middle English rinen, from Old English hrīnan (whence Modern English rine). Doublet of tuck.
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.
Senses: examples: text: Suddenly, in the crowd, I felt a touch at my shoulder.
synonyms: contact
contaction
taction
glosses: An act of touching, especially with the hand or finger.
examples: text: With the lights out, she had to rely on touch to find her desk.
synonyms: word: tactition
word: tact
word: tactility
word: taction
word: tactition
word: touch
glosses: The faculty or sense of perception by physical contact.
examples: text: He performed one of Ravel's piano concertos with a wonderfully light and playful touch.
glosses: The style or technique with which one plays a musical instrument.
examples: text: a heavy touch, or a light touch
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers.
examples: text: Clever touches like this are what make her such a brilliant writer.
synonyms: word: trait
word: characteristic
word: designation
word: distinction
word: distinctiveness
word: feature
word: trait
word: property
word: attribute
word: hallmark
word: quality
word: parameter
word: race
word: touch
word: whatness
glosses: A distinguishing feature or characteristic.
examples: text: Move it left just a touch and it will be perfect.
text: I'd like to see a touch more enthusiasm in the project.
text: Madam, I have a touch of your condition.
ref: 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]:
text: 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.
ref: 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:
text: 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....
ref: 1894, “From Month to Month”, in The Chronicle of the London Missionary Society, number 33, Readers Union, →OCLC, page 220:
synonyms: word: smidgen
word: ace
word: tinge
word: atom
word: trace element
word: aught
word: bissel
word: bit
word: crumb
word: glimpse
word: dab
word: damn
word: dash
word: diddly
word: glint
word: dot
word: spatter
word: drop
word: dusting
word: fleck
word: hint
word: flip
word: flyspeck
word: grain
word: halfpennyworth
word: inch
word: iota
word: jot
word: lick
word: mite
word: modicum
word: molecule
word: morceau
word: morsel
word: mote
word: ooch
word: ounce
word: particle
word: pennyworth
word: piece
word: pinch
word: scantling
word: semblance
word: scent
word: scintilla
word: scooch
word: scrap
word: scruple
word: shred
word: skerrick
word: skoosh
word: skosh
word: sliver
word: smattering
word: smidge
word: smidgen
word: smidget
word: smidgy
word: smitch
word: smithereen
word: soupçon
word: spark
word: speck
word: speckle
word: spot
word: sprinkle
word: sprinkling
word: strain
word: tad
word: tidbit
word: tidge
word: tittle
word: toddick
word: touch
word: trace
word: trifle
word: tuppence worth
word: vestige
word: whiff
word: whit
glosses: A little bit; a small amount.
examples: text: He got the ball, and kicked it straight out into touch.
glosses: The part of a sports field beyond the touchlines or goal-lines.
examples: text: He promised to keep in touch while he was away.
text: lose touch
synonyms: connection
contact
glosses: A relationship of close communication or understanding.
raw_tags: in set phrases
examples: text: I used to be a great chess player but I've lost my touch.
text: 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.
ref: 2011 September 29, Jon Smith, “Tottenham 3 - 1 Shamrock Rovers”, in BBC Sport:
synonyms: word: proficiency
word: ability
word: technique
word: aptitude
word: capacity
word: capability
word: competency
word: competence
word: cunning
word: dexterity
word: ease
word: facility
word: knack
word: list
word: prowess
word: moxie
word: potential
word: proficiency
word: skill
word: talent
word: tekkers
word: touch
glosses: The ability to perform a task well; aptitude.
examples: text: Not alone / The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches, / Do strongly speak to us.
ref: c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
glosses: Act or power of exciting emotion.
examples: text: a true, natural, and a sensible touch of mercy
ref: 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
synonyms: word: feeling
word: affect
word: emotion
word: feeling
word: kibun
word: sensation
word: sentiment
word: senniment
word: touch
glosses: An emotion or affection.
examples: text: Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly used.
ref: 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Discourse”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
glosses: Personal reference or application.
examples: text: Never give the least touch with your pencil till you have well examined your design.
ref: 1695, John Dryden, The Art of Painting:
glosses: A single stroke on a drawing or a picture.
examples: text: Print my preface in such form as, in the booksellers' phrase, will make a sixpenny touch.
ref: 1713, A Preface to Bishop Burnet's Introduction, Jonathan Swift:
synonyms: essayette
essaylet
miniessay
glosses: A brief essay.
examples: text: Now do I play the touch.
ref: 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 ii]:
text: a neat new monument of touch and alabaster
ref: 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
glosses: A touchstone; hence, stone of the sort used for touchstone.
examples: text: equity, the true touch of all laws
ref: 1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall, London: […] S[imon] S[tafford] for Iohn Iaggard, […], →OCLC:
text: friends of noble touch
ref: c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
glosses: Examination or trial by some decisive standard; test; proof; tried quality.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1711, William Sutherland, The Ship-Builder's Assistant:
topics: business
manufacturing
shipbuilding
glosses: 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.
synonyms: word: it
word: dobby
word: it
word: hit
word: tig
word: tiggy
word: tuggy
word: touch
word: catch
word: chase
word: tick
word: tip
word: had
glosses: The children's game of tag.
qualifier: bell-ringing
glosses: A set of changes less than the total possible on seven bells, i.e. less than 5,040.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1821, David Haggart, Life of David Haggart, 2nd edition, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne & Co, page 105:
text: 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.
ref: 2017, Mike Houlihan, Nothin's On The Square: 82 Days on the Mayoral Campaign:
text: 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.
ref: 2023, Jo Draxler, A Single Breath of Air:
glosses: An act of borrowing or stealing something; a request for money.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1804, William Henry Ireland, The Woman of Feeling, volume 2, page 232:
synonyms: consideration
expenditure
payment
glosses: The extent to which a person is interested or affected; the amount of outlay on something.
topics: business
construction
manufacturing
plumbing
glosses: Tallow.
examples: 2019 In the mix: Who's pushing for selection for round seven? Australian Football League, 30 April 2019. Accessed 6 May 2019.
Jackson Hately, Isaac Cumming and Nick Shipley have been in great touch in the NEAFL.
glosses: Form; standard of performance.
examples: 2019 In the mix: Who's pushing for selection for round seven? Australian Football League, 30 April 2019. Accessed 6 May 2019.
With just six touches, small forward Daniel Rioli was uncharacteristically quiet against Melbourne, although he did lay five tackles.
qualifier: Australian rules football
glosses: A disposal of the ball during a game, i.e. a kick or a handball.
glosses: touch football (a variant of rugby league that does not involve tackling)
Derived terms: a touch
common touch
Dutch touch
finishing touch
first touch
Fonzie touch
get in touch
golden touch
high touch
high-touch
human touch
in touch
kick into touch
kick to touch
light the touch-paper
light touch
lose one's touch
lose touch
magic touch
Midas touch
multi-touch
near touch
one-touch
out of touch
reverse Midas touch
royal touch
soft touch
therapeutic touch
toe touch
to the touch
touch assist
touch-dry
touch-first
touch football
touch footy
touch-free
touchfree
touch hole
touch home
touch-in-goal
touch judge
touch-kick
touchless
touchline
touch map
touchmark
touch move
touch-needle
touch of the tarbrush
touch of the tar brush
touch of the 'tism
touch oneself
touch pad
touch panel
touch-paper
touch pen
touchphone
touch piecebad touch
touch pool
touchscreen
touch screen
touch tank
touch-tone
touch tour
touch-type
touch typing
touch-typist
touch-up
two-hand touch
two touch
vitreous touch syndrome