Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Touch
Touch
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Touched
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Touching
.] 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
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. Shakespeare
5.
To relate to; to concern; to affect.
The quarrel
toucheth
none but us alone. Shakespeare
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 booksPope.
What of sweet before
Hath
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.
18.
To lay a hand upon for curing disease.
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.
Touch
,Verb.
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 pointsJohnson.
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
quitted it.
touched
upon it, they immediatelyquitted it.
Addison.
4.
(Naut)
To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
1.
The act of touching, or the state of being touched; contact.
Their
touch
affrights me as a serpent’s sting. Shakespeare
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.
☞ 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
Do strongly speak to us.
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent
touches
,Do strongly speak to us.
Shakespeare
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; reproofI 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
To have the
touches
dearest prized. Shakespeare
9.
The act of the hand on a musical instrument; bence, in the plural, musical notes.
Soft stillness and the night
Become the
Become the
touches
of sweet harmony. Shakespeare
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. Shakespeare
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
. Shakespeare
15.
(Mus.)
The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers;
as, a heavy
; also, the manner of touching, striking, or pressing the keys of a piano; touch
, or a light touch
as, a legato
. touch
; a staccato touch
16.
(Shipbilding)
The broadest part of a plank worked top and but (see ), 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.
Top and but
, under Top
, Noun.
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.
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.]
Webster 1828 Edition
Touch
TOUCH
,Verb.
T.
pp.
1.
To come in contact with; to hit or strike against. He touched the hollow of his thigh. Gen. 32. Matt.9.
Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter. Esth.5.
2.
To perceive by the sense of feeling. Nothing but body can be touch'd or touch.
3.
To come to; to reach; to attain to. The god vindictive doom'd them never more,
Ah men unbless'd! to touch that natal shore.
4.
To try, as gold with a stone. Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed--
5.
To relate to; to concern. The quarrel toucheth none but thee alone.
[This sense is now nearly obsolete.]
6.
To handle slightly.7.
To meddle with. I have not touched the books.8.
To affect. What of sweet
Hath touch'd my sense, flat seems to this.
9.
To move; to soften; to melt. The tender sire was touch'd with what he said.
10. To mark or delineate slightly.
The lines, though touch'd but faintly--
11. To infect; as men touched with pestilent diseases. [Little used.]
12. To make an impression on.
Its face must be--so hard that the file will not touch it.
13. To strike, as an instrument of music; to play on.
They touch'd their golden harps.
14. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.
No decree of mine,
To touch with lightest moment of impulse
His free will.
15. To treat slightly. In his discourse, he barely touched upon the subject deemed the most interesting.
16. To afflict or distress. Gen.26.
To touch up, to repair; or to improve by slight touches or emendations.
To touch the wind, in seamen's language, is to keep the ship as near the wind as possible.
TOUCH
,Verb.
I.
1.
To fasten on; to take effect on. Strong waters will touch upon gold,that will not touch silver.
2.
To treat of slightly in discourse.To touch at, to come or go to, without stay.
The ship touched at Lisbon.
The next day we touched at Sidon. Acts 27.touch on or upon, to mention slightly.
If the antiquaries have touched upon it, they have immediately quitted it.
1.
In the sense of touch at. [Little used.]TOUCH
,Noun.
1.
The sense of feeling; one of the five senses. We say, a thing is cold or warm to the touch; silk is soft to the touch. The spider's touch how exquisitely fine!
2.
The act of touching. The touch of cold water made him shrink.3.
The state of being touched. --That never touch was welcome to thy hand
Unless I touch'd.
4.
Examination by a stone.5.
Test; that by which any thing is examined. Equity, the true touch of all laws.
6.
Proof; tried qualities. My friends of noble touch.
7.
Single act of a pencil on a picture. Never give the least touch with your pencil, till you have well examined your design.
8.
Feature; lineament. Of many faces, eyes and hearts,
To have the touches dearest priz'd.
9.
Act of the hand on a musical instrument. Soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
10. Power of exciting the affections.
Not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,
Do strongly speak t'us.
11. Something of passion of affection.
He both makes intercession to God for sinners, and exercises dominion over all men, with a true, natural and sensible touch of mercy.
12. Particular application of any thing to a person.
Speech of touch towards others should be sparingly used.
13. A stroke; as a touch of raillery; a satiric touch.
14. Animadversion; censure; reproof.
I never bore any touch of conscience with greater regret.
15. Exact performance of agreement.
I keep touch with my promise.
16. A small quantity intermixed.
Madam, I have a touch of your condition.
17. A hint; suggestion; slight notice.
A small touch will put him in mind of them.
18. A cant word for a slight essay.
Print my preface in such forms, in the bookseller's phrase, will make a sixpenny touch. [Not in use.]
19. In music, the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers; as a heavy touch, or light touch.
20. In music, an organ is said to have a good touch or stop,when the keys close well.
21. In ship-building, touch is 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.