- To touch a sail
- Touch Touch, v. t. [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}, v. t., {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.
[1913 Webster]
Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear Touched lightly. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
2. To perceive by the sense of feeling. [1913 Webster]
Nothing but body can be touched or touch. --Greech. [1913 Webster]
3. To come to; to reach; to attain to. [1913 Webster]
The god, vindictive, doomed them never more Ah, men unblessed! -- to touch their natal shore. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
4. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
5. To relate to; to concern; to affect. [1913 Webster]
The quarrel toucheth none but us alone. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
6. To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of. [1913 Webster]
Storial thing that toucheth gentilesse. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
7. To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
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. [1913 Webster]
The tender sire was touched with what he said. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
9. To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush. [1913 Webster]
The lines, though touched but faintly, are drawn right. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
10. To infect; to affect slightly. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
11. To make an impression on; to have effect upon. [1913 Webster]
Its face . . . so hard that a file will not touch it. --Moxon. [1913 Webster]
12. To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an instrument of music. [1913 Webster]
[They] touched their golden harps. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
13. To perform, as a tune; to play. [1913 Webster]
A person is the royal retinue touched a light and lively air on the flageolet. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]
14. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly. `` No decree of mine, . . . [to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will,'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]
15. To harm, afflict, or distress. [1913 Webster]
Let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee. --Gen. xxvi. 28, 29. [1913 Webster]
16. To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree; to make partially insane; -- rarely used except in the past participle. [1913 Webster]
She feared his head was a little touched. --Ld. Lytton. [1913 Webster]
17. (Geom.) To be tangent to. See {Tangent}, a. [1913 Webster]
18. To lay a hand upon for curing disease. [1913 Webster]
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. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
