NYT Dictionary

TOUCH

/tʌt͡ʃ/
VerbNounTOU-chtou-ch · 2 syllablesGrade 5

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Meaning

Primarily physical senses.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English touchen, tochen, from Old French tochier (“to touch”) (whence Modern French toucher; compare French doublet toquer (“to offend, bother, harass”)), from Vulgar Latin *tuccō (“to knock, strike, offend”), from Frankish *tukkōn (“to knock, strike, touch”), from Proto-Germanic *tukkōną (“to tug, grab, grasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to draw, pull, lead”). Largely displaced native Middle English rinen, from Old English hrīnan (whence Modern English rine). Doublet of tuck. Cognates Cognate with Old High German zochhōn, zuhhōn (“to grasp, take, seize, snatch”) (whence German zucken (“to jerk, flinch”)), German Low German tucken, tocken (“to fidget, twitch, pull up, entice, throb, knock, repeatedly tap”), Middle Dutch tocken, tucken (“to touch, entice”) (whence Dutch tokkelen (“to strum, pluck”)), Old English tucian, tūcian (“to disturb, mistreat”) (whence Modern English tuck). Compare also Old High German tokkōn, tockōn (“to abut, collide”). More at tuck. Via Proto-Indo-European *dewk- cognate with English tie, tow, tug, team, Latin dūcō, dux.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

contactfeelgropehandletouchcaressfondleconsumediscussget outside

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 4 recorded puzzles:

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