TOUCH, v.t. tuch. [L. tango, originally tago, [our vulgar tag.] pret. tetigi, pp. tactus.]

1. Contact; the hitting of two bodies; the junction of two bodies at the surface, so that there is no space between them. The mimosa shrinks at the slightest touch.
2. The sense of feeling or common sensation, 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! Pope.
3. The act of touching. The touch of cold water made him shrink.
4. The state of being touched. That never touch was welcome to thy hand / Unless I touch'd. Shak.
5. Examination by a stone. Shak.
6. Test; that by which any thing is examined. Equity, the true touch of all laws. Carew.
7. Proof; tried qualities. My friends of noble touch. Shak.
8. Single act of a pencil on a picture. Never give the least touch with your pencil, till you have well examined your design. Dryden.
9. Feature; lineament. Of many faces, eyes and hearts, / To have the touches dearest priz'd. Shak.
10. Act of the hand on a musical instrument. Soft stillness and the night / Become the touches of sweet harmony. Shak.
11. Power of exciting the affections. Not alone / The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches / Do strongly speak t' us. Shak.
12. Something of passion 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.
13. Particular application of any thing to a person. Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly used. [Obs.] Bacon.
14. A stroke; as, a touch of raillery; a satiric touch. Addison.
15. Animadversion; censure; reproof. I never bore any touch of conscience with greater regret. King Charles.
16. Exact performance of agreement. Bacon. I keep touch with my promise. [Obs.] More.
17. A small quantity intermixed. Madam, I have a touch of your conscience. Shak.
18. A hint; suggestion; slight notice. A small touch will put him in mind of them. Bacon.
19. A cant word for a slight essay. Print my preface in such form as, in the bookseller's phrase, will make a sixpenny touch. [Not in use.] Swift.
20. In music, the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers; as, a heavy touch or light touch.
21. In music, an organ is said to have a good touch or stop, when the keys close well.
22. 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. Cyc.

1. To be in contact with; to be in a state of junction, so that no space is between. Two spheres touch only at points. Johnson.
2. To fasten on; to take effect on. Strong waters will touch upon gold, that will not touch silver. Bacon.
3. To treat of slightly in discourse. Addison. To touch at, to come or go to, without stay. The ship touched at Lisbon. The next day we touched at Sidon. Acts xxvii. To touch on or upon, to mention slightly. If the antiquaries have touched upon it; they have immediately quitted it. Addison. #2. In the sense of touch at. [Little used.]

1. To come in contact with; to hit or strike against. He touched the hollow of his thigh. Gen. xxxii. Matth. ix. Esther drew near and touched the top of the scepter. Esth. v.
2. To perceive by the sense of feeling. Nothing but body can be touch'd or touch. Creech.
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. Pope.
4. To try, as gold with a stone. Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed. Shak.
5. To relate to; to concern. The quarrel toucheth none but thee alone. Shak. [This sense is now nearly obsolete.]
6. To handle slightly. Brown.
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. Milton.
9. To move; to soften; to melt. The tender sire was touch'd with what he said. Addison.
10. To mark or delineate slightly. The lines, though touch'd but faintly. Pope.
11. To infect; as, men touched with pestilent diseases. [Little used.] Bacon.
12. To make an impression on. Its face must be – so hard that the file will not touch it. Moxon.
13. To strike, as an instrument of music; to play on. They touch'd their golden harps. Milton.
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 treat slightly. In his discourse, he barely touched upon the subject deemed the most interesting.
16. To afflict or distress. Gen. xxvi. To touch up, to repair; or to improve by slight touches or emendations. Addison. To touch the wind, in seamen's language, is to keep the ship as near the wind as possible.

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 be in contact; to be in a state of junction, so that no space is between; as, two spheres touch only at points.
   
   
   Johnson.
3. The act of touching, or the state of being touched; contact.
   
   

   Their touch affrights me as a serpent's sting. Shak.

4. To compare with; of be equal to; -- usually with a negative; as, he held that for good cheer nothing could touch an open fire.
   
   
   [Colloq.]
5. A set of changes less than the total possible on seven bells, that is, less than 5,040.
6. To perceive by the sense of feeling.
   
   

   Nothing but body can be touched or touch. Greech.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. To induce to give or lend; to borrow from; as, to touch one for a loan; hence, to steal from.
   
   
   [Slang]
10. An act of borrowing or stealing.
    
    
    [Slang]
11. To come to; to reach; to attain to.
    
    

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

12. 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.

13. Act or power of exciting emotion.
    
    

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

14. Tallow; -- a plumber's term.
    
    
    [Eng.]
15. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone.
    
    
    [Obs.]

    Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed. Shak.

16. 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 upon, 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.

17. An emotion or affection.
    
    

    A true, natural, and a sensible touch of mercy. Hooker.

18. To relate to; to concern; to affect.
    
    

    The quarrel toucheth none but us alone. Shak.

19. Personal reference or application.
    
    
    [Obs.]

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

20. To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of.
    
    

    Storial thing that toucheth gentilesse. Chaucer.

21. 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.

22. To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books.
    
    
    Pope.
23. 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.

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

    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.

25. Feature; lineament; trait.
    
    

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

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. To infect; to affect slightly.
    
    
    Bacon.
29. 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.

30. To make an impression on; to have effect upon.
    
    

    Its face . . . so hard that a file will not touch it. Moxon.

31. A hint; a suggestion; slight notice.
    
    

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

32. To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an instrument of music.
    
    

    [They] touched their golden harps. Milton.

33. A slight and brief essay.
    
    
    [Colloq.]

    Print my preface in such form as, in the booksellers' phrase, will make a sixpenny touch. Swift.

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.
    
    
    " No decree of mine, . . . [to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will," Milton.
37. 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.

38. 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.

39. 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.
40. 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.

41. The broadest part of a plank worked top and but (see Top and but, under Top, n.), 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.
42. To be tangent to. See Tangent, a.
43. That part of the field which is beyond the line of flags on either side.
    
    
    Encyc. of Rural Sports.
44. 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.

45. A boys' game; tag.
    
    

    In touch (Football), outside of bounds. T. Hughes. -- To be in touch, to be in contact, or in sympathy. -- 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. -- Touch and go, a phrase descriptive of a narrow escape. -- True as touch (i. e., touchstone), quite true. [Obs.]