Touch

How to spell touch

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce touch

What does touch mean?

1. verbTo bring a part of the body into contact with something, or to make physical contact with an object.
2. nounA very small amount of something added or present.
3. nounThe faculty of perception through physical contact with the skin.

Touch in a sentence

• verb

  Please do not touch the wet paint on the railing.

• noun

  The soup needs a touch of salt to bring out the flavour.

• noun

  The velvet felt soft and warm to the touch.

• verb

  Visitors may touch the exhibits only in the marked area.

• noun

  She added a touch of humour to the formal report.

• noun

  A doctor relies on touch to find a swollen gland.

Where does touch come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English around the year 1300 from the Old French verb touchier (also spelled tochier), which meant 'to strike' or 'to bring into contact'. The French form traces back to a Vulgar Latin verb toccare, thought to be imitative in origin, echoing the sound of a knock or tap; in its earliest life it leaned more towards 'to hit' than the gentle contact we now imagine. Over the centuries the sense softened from striking to mere contact, and English speakers extended it into countless figurative uses, from being emotionally 'touched' to adding a 'touch' of salt. The same Latin root lies behind the Italian toccare and even the musical term 'toccata', a piece meant to show off a player's touch on the keys. The spelling trap is the 'ou' standing for a short 'uh' sound and the final '-ch', neither of which is obvious from how the word is pronounced.

How the word is built

• touch (single root, from Old French touchier 'to strike, to touch')