3 entries under this word

Touch

Toŭch, v. t.

verbtransitive

(tŭch), v. t. [imp. & p. p. TOUCHED (tŭcht); p. pr. & vb. n. TOUCHING.] [Fr. toucher, O. Fr. toquer, Pr., Sp., & Pg. tocar, It. toccare. Cf. Goth. têkan, taitok, taitokun, to touch; Lat. tangere, tactum, originally tagere, id., O. H. Ger. zuchôn, zochôn, N. H. Ger. zucken, to pluck, seize, move quickly.]

Sense 1. To come in contact with; to hit or strike against; to extend the hand, foot, &c., so as to reach or rest on.

Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter. Esth. v. 2.

Him, thus intent, Ithuriel with his spear Touched lightly. Milton.

Sense 2. To perceive by the sense of feeling.

Nothing but body can be touched. Creech.

Sense 3. To come to; to reach; to attain to.

The god, vindictive, doomed them never more— Ah, men unblessed!—to touch their natal shore. Pope.

Sense 4. To try, as gold with a stone. [Obs.]

Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed. Shak.

Sense 5. To relate to; to concern.

The quarrel toucheth none but thee alone. Shak.

Sense 6. To handle, speak of, or deal with gently or slightly.

Sense 7. To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books.

Sense 8. To affect the senses or the sensibility of; to move; to melt; to soften.

What of sweet Hath touched my sense, flat seems to this. Milton.

The tender sire was touched with what he said. Addison.

Sense 9. To mark or delineate slightly; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush. “The lines, though touched but faintly.” Pope.

Sense 10. To infect; as, men touched with pestilent diseases. [Rare.] Bacon.

Sense 11. To make an impression on.

Its face must be . . . so hard that the file will not touch it. Moxon.

Sense 12. To strike, as an instrument of music; to play on.

They touched their golden harps. Milton.

Sense 13. To perform, as a tune; to play.

A person in the royal retinue touched a light and lively air on the flageolet. W. Scott.

Sense 14. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.

No decree of mine, To touch with lightest moment of impulse His free will. Milton.

Sense 15. To afflict or distress.

Let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee. Gen. xxvi. 29.

Sense 16. To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree; to make partially insane;—rarely used except in the participle.

She feared his head was a little touched. Bulwer.

To touch the wind (Naut.), to keep the ship as near the wind as possible.—To touch up, to repair, or to improve by slight touches or emendations.

Toŭch, v. i.

verbintransitive

(tŭch), v. i. 1. To be in contact; to be in a state of junction, so that no space is between; as, two spheres touch only at points. Johnson.

Sense 2. To fasten; to take effect. [Rare.] Strong waters will touch upon gold, that will not touch upon silver. Bacon.

Sense 3. To treat any thing slightly in discourse;—often with on or upon. If the antiquaries have touched upon it, they have immediately quitted it. Addison.

Sense 4. (Naut.) To have the leech of a sail so struck by the wind as to cause a tremulous motion of it.

To touch and go (Naut.), to touch bottom, as a ship in sailing, with much decrease of speed.—To touch at, to come or go to, without tarrying; as, the ship touched at Lisbon.—To touch on, or upon, to come or go to for a short time. [Rare.] I made a little voyage round the lake, and touched on the several towns that lie on its coasts. Addison.

Touch, n.

noun

(tŭch), n. [Fr. touche, Pr. toc, tocha, Sp. & Pg. toque, It. tocco.]

Sense 1. The act of touching, or the state of being touched; contact.

That never touch was welcome to thy hand Unless I touched. Shak.

Sense 2. The sense of feeling or common sensation, one of the five senses; as, a thing is cold or warm to the touch; silk is soft to the touch. “The spider’s touch, how exquisitely fine!” Pope.

Sense 3. Power of exciting the affections.

Not alone The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches, Do strongly speak to us. Shak.

Sense 4. An emotion or affection.

He both makes intercession to God for sinners, and exercises dominion over all men, with a true, natural, and sensible touch of mercy. Hooker.

Sense 5. Personal reference or application.

Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly used. Bacon.

Sense 6. A stroke; as, a touch of raillery; a satiric touch; hence, animadversion; censure; reproof.

I never bore any touch of conscience with greater regret. K. Charles.

Sense 7. A single stroke on a drawing or picture.

Never give the least touch with your pencil till you have well examined your design. Dryden.

Sense 8. Feature; lineament.

Of many faces, eyes, and hearts, To have the touches dearest prized. Shak.

Sense 9. Act of the hand on a musical instrument; and hence, musical notes.

Soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Shak.

Sense 10. A small quantity intermixed; a little. “Eyes with a touch of Sir Peter Lely in them.” Hazlitt.

Madam, I have a touch of your conscience. Shak.

Sense 11. A hint; suggestion; slight notice.

A small touch will put him in mind of them. Bacon.

Sense 12. A slight and brief essay. [Colloq.]

Print my preface in such form as, in the bookseller’s phrase, will make a sixpenny touch. Swift.

Sense 13. A touch-stone; hence, stone of the sort so used. [Obs.] “A new monument of touch and alabaster.” Fuller.

Now do I ply the touch. Shak.

Sense 14. Hence, examination or trial by some decisive standard; test; proof; tried quality. “Equity, the true touch of all laws.” Carew. “Friends of noble touch.” Shak.

Sense 15. (Mus.) The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers; as, a heavy touch, or light touch; also, the manner of touching, striking, or pressing the keys of a piano-forte.

Sense 16. (Ship-building.) The broadest part of a plank worked top and butt; or the middle of a plank worked anchor-stock fashion; also, the angles of the stern timbers at the counters.

Sense 17. (Obstetrics.) The examination of the mouth of the womb by actual contact of the hand or fingers.

To keep touch, to be true or punctual to a promise or engagement [Obs.]; hence, to fulfill duly a part or function.

My mind and senses keep touch and time. W. Scott.

— True as touch (i. e., touch-stone), quite true. [Obs.]