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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Touch \Touch\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Touched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Touching}.] [F. toucher, OF. touchier, tuchier; of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG. zucchen, zukken, to twitch, pluck, draw, G. zukken, zukken, v. intens. fr. OHG. ziohan to draw, G. ziehen, akin to E. tug. See {Tuck}, verb (used with an object), {Tug}, and cf. {Tocsin}, {Toccata}.]
1. To come in contact with; to hit or strike lightly against; to extend the hand, foot, or the like, so as to reach or rest on.
Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear Touched lightly. --Milton.
2. To perceive by the sense of feeling.
Nothing but body can be touched or touch. --Greech.
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.
4. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone. [Obs.]
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed. --Shak.
5. To relate to; to concern; to affect.
The quarrel toucheth none but us alone. --Shak.
6. To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of.
Storial thing that toucheth gentilesse. --Chaucer.
7. To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books. --Pope.
8. To affect the senses or the sensibility of; to move; to melt; to soften; especially, to cause feelings of pity, compassion, sympathy, or gratitude in. [1913 Webster +PJC]
What of sweet before Hath touched my sense, flat seems to this and harsh. --Milton.
The tender sire was touched with what he said. --Addison.
9. To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush.
The lines, though touched but faintly, are drawn right. --Pope.
10. To infect; to affect slightly. --Bacon.
11. To make an impression on; to have effect upon.
Its face . . . so hard that a file will not touch it. --Moxon.
12. To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an instrument of music.
[They] touched their golden harps. --Milton.
13. To perform, as a tune; to play.
A person is the royal retinue touched a light and lively air on the flageolet. --Sir W. Scott.
14. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly. '' No decree of mine, . . . [to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will,'' --Milton.
15. To harm, 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. 28, 29.
16. To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree; to make partially insane; -- rarely used except in the past participle.
She feared his head was a little touched. --Ld. Lytton.
17. (Geom.) To be tangent to. See {Tangent}, adjective
18. To lay a hand upon for curing disease.
19. To compare with; to be equal to; -- usually with a negative; as, he held that for good cheer nothing could touch an open fire. [Colloq.] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
20. To induce to give or lend; to borrow from; as, to touch one for a loan; hence, to steal from. [Slang] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{To touch a sail} (Naut.), to bring it so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
{To touch the wind} (Naut.), to keep the ship as near the wind as possible.
{To touch up}, to repair; to improve by touches or emendation.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Touch \Touch\, verb (used without an object)
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.
2. To fasten; to take effect; to make impression. [R.]
Strong waters pierce metals, and will touch upon gold, that will not touch upon silver. --Bacon.
3. To treat anything in discourse, especially in a slight or casual manner; -- often with on or upon.
If the antiquaries have touched upon it, they immediately quitted it. --Addison.
4. (Naut) To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
{To touch and go} (Naut.), to touch bottom lightly and without damage, as a vessel in motion.
{To touch at}, to come or go to, without tarrying; as, the ship touched at Lisbon.
{To touch on} or {To touch upon}, (a) to come or go to for a short time. [R.]
I made a little voyage round the lake, and touched on the several towns that lie on its coasts. --Addison. (b) to discuss briefly, as only a small part of a discourse. [PJC]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Touch \Touch\, noun [Cf. F. touche. See {Touch}, v. ]
1. The act of touching, or the state of being touched; contact.
Their touch affrights me as a serpent's sting. --Shak.
2. (Physiol.) The sense by which pressure or traction exerted on the skin is recognized; the sense by which the properties of bodies are determined by contact; the tactile sense. See {Tactile sense}, under {Tactile}.
The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine. --Pope.
Note: Pure tactile feelings are necessarily rare, since temperature sensations and muscular sensations are more or less combined with them. The organs of touch are found chiefly in the epidermis of the skin and certain underlying nervous structures.
3. Act or power of exciting emotion.
Not alone The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches, Do strongly speak to us. --Shak.
4. An emotion or affection.
A true, natural, and a sensible touch of mercy. --Hooker.
5. Personal reference or application. [Obs.]
Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly used. --Bacon.
6. A stroke; as, a touch of raillery; a satiric touch; hence, animadversion; censure; reproof.
I never bare any touch of conscience with greater regret. --Eikon Basilike.
7. A single stroke on a drawing or a picture.
Never give the least touch with your pencil till you have well examined your design. --Dryden.
8. Feature; lineament; trait.
Of many faces, eyes, and hearts, To have the touches dearest prized. --Shak.
9. The act of the hand on a musical instrument; bence, in the plural, musical notes.
Soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. --Shak.
10. A small quantity intermixed; a little; a dash.
Eyes La touch of Sir Peter Lely in them. --Hazlitt.
Madam, I have a touch of your condition. --Shak.
11. A hint; a suggestion; slight notice.
A small touch will put him in mind of them. --Bacon.
12. A slight and brief essay. [Colloq.]
Print my preface in such form as, in the booksellers' phrase, will make a sixpenny touch. --Swift.
13. A touchstone; hence, stone of the sort used for touchstone. [Obs.] '' Now do I play the touch.'' --Shak.
A neat new monument of touch and alabaster. --Fuller.
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.
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 a light touch; also, the manner of touching, striking, or pressing the keys of a piano; as, a legato touch; a staccato touch.
16. (Shipbilding) The broadest part of a plank worked top and but (see {Top and but}, under {Top}, noun), 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. --J. Knowles.
17. (Football) That part of the field which is beyond the line of flags on either side. --Encyc. of Rural Sports.
18. A boys' game; tag.
19. (Change Ringing) A set of changes less than the total possible on seven bells, that is, less than 5,040. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
20. An act of borrowing or stealing. [Slang] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
21. Tallow; -- a plumber's term. [Eng.] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{In touch} (a) (Football), outside of bounds. --T. Hughes. (b) in communication; communicating, once or repeatedly.
{To be in touch}, (a) to be in contact, communication, or in sympathy. (b) to be aware of current events.
{To keep touch}. (a) To be true or punctual to a promise or engagement [Obs.]; hence, to fulfill duly a function.
My mind and senses keep touch and time. --Sir W. Scott. (b) To keep in contact; to maintain connection or sympathy; -- with with or of. Also
{to keep in touch}.
{Touch and go}, a phrase descriptive of a narrow escape.
{True as touch} (i. e., touchstone), quite true. [Obs.]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
touch
noun
1: the event of something coming in contact with the body; "he longed for the touch of her hand"; "the cooling touch of the night air" [syn: {touching}]
2: the faculty of touch; "only sight and touch enable us to locate objects in the space around us" [syn: {sense of touch}, {skin senses}, {touch modality}, {cutaneous senses}]
3: a suggestion of some quality; "there was a touch of sarcasm in his tone"; "he detected a ghost of a smile on her face" [syn: {trace}, {ghost}]
4: a distinguishing style; "this room needs a woman's touch" [syn: {signature}]
5: the act of putting two things together with no space between them; "at his touch the room filled with lights" [syn: {touching}]
6: a slight but appreciable addition; "this dish could use a touch of garlic" [syn: {hint}, {tinge}, {mite}, {pinch}, {jot}, {speck}, {soupcon}]
7: a communicative interaction; "the pilot made contact with the base"; "he got in touch with his colleagues" [syn: {contact}]
8: a slight attack of illness; "he has a touch of rheumatism" [syn: {spot}]
9: the act of soliciting money (as a gift or loan); "he watched the beggar trying to make a touch"
10: the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin; "she likes the touch of silk on her skin"; "the surface had a greasy feeling" [syn: {touch sensation}, {tactual sensation}, {tactile sensation}, {feeling}]
11: deftness in handling matters; "he has a master's touch"
12: the feel of mechanical action; "this piano has a wonderful touch"
verb
1: make physical contact with, come in contact with; "Touch the stone for good luck"; "She never touched her husband"
2: perceive via the tactile sense; "Helen Keller felt the physical world by touching people and objects around her"
3: affect emotionally; "A stirring movie"; "I was touched by your kind letter of sympathy" [syn: {stir}]
4: have to do with or be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments" [syn: {refer}, {pertain}, {relate}, {concern}, {come to}, {bear on}, {touch on}]
5: be in direct physical contact with; make contact; "The two buildings touch"; "Their hands touched"; "The wire must not contact the metal cover"; "The surfaces contact at this point" [syn: {adjoin}, {meet}, {contact}]
6: have an effect upon; "Will the new rules affect me?" [syn: {affect}, {impact}, {bear upon}, {bear on}, {touch on}]
7: deal with; usually used with a form of negation; "I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole"; "The local Mafia won't touch gambling"
8: cause to be in brief contact with; "He touched his toes to the horse's flanks"
9: to extend as far as; "The sunlight reached the wall"; "Can he reach?" "The chair must not touch the wall" [syn: {reach}, {extend to}]
10: be equal to in quality or ability; "Nothing can rival cotton for durability"; "Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues"; "Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents" [syn: {equal}, {rival}, {match}]
11: tamper with; "Don't touch my CDs!" [syn: {disturb}]
12: make a more or less disguised reference to; "He alluded to the problem but did not mention it" [syn: {allude}, {advert}]
13: comprehend; "He could not touch the meaning of the poem"
14: consume; "She didn't touch her food all night" [syn: {partake}]
15: dye with a color [syn: {tint}, {tinct}, {bepaint}, {tinge}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
532 Moby Thesaurus words for "touch": ESP, Roman candle, ability, abut, access, adjoin, adroitness, affect, aid to navigation, alarm, alight, allegory, allude to, allusion, amber light, amount to, answer, answer to, appertain to, apply, apply to, apprehend, approach, arcane meaning, arouse, art, assumption, attouchement, background, background detail, balance, balefire, be aware of, be conscious of, be sensible of, beacon, beacon fire, beak, bear on, bear upon, beat the drum, beautify, beg, begin, bell, bell buoy, belong to, bit, blinker, blow, blue peter, border, borrow, break even, bring in, bring up, brush, brush by, bum, bunt, buoy, butt, cadge, cantando, capability, caress, carry, cast, cause, caution light, characteristic, chromesthesia, chuck, color hearing, coloration, coloring, come home to, come in contact, come near, come to, come together, come up to, commerce, communicate, communication, communion, compare with, concern, congress, connect, connection, connotation, consume, contact, contingence, conversation, converse, correspond, correspond to, correspondence, cover, dab, dash, deal with, dealing, dealings, decorative composition, decorative style, deftness, demilegato, design, detail, detonate, dexterity, dip, disturb, ditto, draw, drink, drop, eat, employ, enhance, equal, even, even off, examine, exchange, exchange colors, excite, execution, experience, expertise, expression, facility, feel, feel of, feeling, figure, fillip, finger, fingering, fire, five senses, flag, flag down, flair, flare, flash, flick, flip, flirt, float a loan, fog bell, fog signal, fog whistle, foghorn, foil, foment, fondle, foreground detail, form, genius, get, get a loan, get on credit, get to, gift, give a signal, give rise to, give the nod, glance, gleam, glissando, go deep, go light, go through one, gong buoy, graze, green light, grieve, hail, hail and speak, half-mast, hand, handle, hang, have connection with, hear, hearing, heliograph, high sign, hint, hit, hit one for, hit up, hoist a banner, idea, ignite, impassion, impinge, impingement, impingence, implication, implied meaning, import, impress, inference, influence, information, infusion, initiate, inkling, innuendo, inspect, inspire, instigate, interaction, interchange, intercommunication, intercommunion, intercourse, interest, interfere with, international alphabet flag, international numeral pennant, interplay, intimation, intonation, investigate, involve, ironic suggestion, join, jot, junction, keep pace with, kick, kiss, knack, knot, land, larceny, leer, legato, liaise with, lick, lift, light, line, linguistic intercourse, link with, look, make a sign, make use of, manner, march, marker beacon, match, match up with, meaning, measure up, measure up to, meddle with, meet, melt, melt the heart, mention, message, metaphorical sense, method, mezzo staccato, mooch, motif, move, movement, music-making, national style, negotiate a loan, neighbor, nod, nuance, nudge, occult meaning, odor, operation, ornamental motif, osculate, osculation, overtone, palm, palpate, palpation, panhandle, parachute flare, parallel, parlando, partake of, pass the hat, pat, patch up, pattern, paw, pawn, peck, penetrate, perceive, performance, period style, pertain to, phonism, photism, pianism, pick, pierce, pilot flag, pinch, pizzicato, ply, poke, poke at, police whistle, presumption, presupposition, probe, prod, provoke, purloining, put, put to use, quarantine flag, quicken, radio beacon, raise, raise a cry, raise money, rap, reach, receptor, red flag, red light, refer to, regard, relate to, rendering, rendition, renovate, repeated figure, repercussion, reply, respect, respond, respond to stimuli, response, responsiveness, retouch, rival, rocket, rub, rubato, run abreast, run into debt, run to, sadden, sailing aid, salute, sauce, scent, scintilla, scrape, scrounge, scrutinize, seasoning, see, semaphore, semaphore flag, semaphore telegraph, sense, sense organ, senses, sensillum, sensorium, sensory organ, set, set in motion, set off, setting, shade, shadow, shave, sideswipe, sight, sign, signal, signal beacon, signal bell, signal fire, signal flag, signal gong, signal gun, signal lamp, signal light, signal mast, signal post, signal rocket, signal shot, signal siren, signal tower, signalize, signature, sip, sixth sense, skill, skim, skirt, slur, smack, smart, smattering, smell, snap, social intercourse, soften, sound an alarm, sound the trumpet, soupcon, spar buoy, spark, speak, speaking, speck, speech, speech circuit, speech situation, spiccato, spice, spot, sprinkling, spruce up, squeak by, staccato, stack up with, start, steal, stealage, stealing, stimulate, sting, stir, stop light, streak, strike, stroke, style, subsense, subsidiary sense, suggestion, sup, supposition, suspicion, sway, symbolism, synesthesia, tactility, taction, taint, take, take advantage of, talent, talking, tangency, tap, taste, technique, telepathy, tempering, tentative contact, texture, the nod, the wink, theme, thievery, thieving, thought, thumb, tickle, tie, tie in with, tinct, tincture, tinge, tint, tip, titivate, touch a chord, touch down, touch off, touch on, touch up, touch upon, touching, toy with, trace, traffic, traffic light, traffic signal, treat of, trick, trigger, truck, twiddle, two-way communication, undercurrent, undermeaning, undertone, unfurl a flag, use, verge, verge on, vestige, watch fire, wave, wave a flag, wave the hand, way, whiff, whisk, white flag, wield, wigwag, wigwag flag, wink, yellow flag
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