touchdown

Multiple Entries:
  touchdown    touch  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
touchdown/ˈtʌtʃdaʊn/

▶noun

• 1 the moment at which an aircraft or part of a spacecraft touches down.

• 2 Rugby an act of touching down.

• 3 American Football a six-point score made by touching down.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
touch/tʌtʃ/

▶verb

• 1 come into or be in contact with.

  ■ come or bring into mutual contact.

  ■ bring one's hand or another part of one's body into contact with.

  ■ strike (a ball) lightly in a specified direction.

• 2 harm or interfere with.

  ■ [usu. with neg.] consume or use (food, drink, money, etc.).

• 3 have an effect on.

  ■ [with neg.] have any dealings with: he took jobs that nobody else would touch.

• 4 produce feelings of affection, gratitude, or sympathy in.

• 5 informal reach (a specified level or amount).

  ■ [usu. with neg.] approach in excellence.

• 6 (as adj. touched) informal slightly mad.

• 7 (touch someone for) informal ask someone for (money) as a loan or gift.

• 8 (touch something in) chiefly Art lightly mark in details with a brush or pencil.

▶noun

• 1 an act of touching.

  ■ a musician's manner of playing keys or strings or the manner in which an instrument's keys or strings respond to being played.

  ■ a light stroke with a pen, pencil, etc.

• 2 the faculty of perception through physical contact, especially with the fingers.

• 3 a small amount.

• 4 a distinctive detail or feature.

• 5 a distinctive manner or method of dealing with something.

  ■ an ability to deal with something successfully.

• 6 Rugby & Soccer the area beyond the sidelines, out of play.

• 7 Bell-ringing a series of changes shorter than a peal.

• 8 archaic a test of worth.

– phrases
in touch

• 1 in or into communication.

• 2 possessing up-to-date knowledge.

lose touch

• 1 cease to be in communication.

• 2 cease to be informed.

out of touch lacking up-to-date knowledge or awareness.
to the touch when touched.
touch bottom be at the lowest or worst point.
touch of the sun a slight attack of sunstroke.

– phrasal verbs
touch at (of a ship) call briefly at (a port).
touch down

• 1 Rugby touch the ground with the ball behind the opponents' goal line, scoring a try.

• 2 American Football score six points by being in possession of the ball behind the opponents' goal line.

• 3 (of an aircraft or spacecraft) land.

touch something off

• 1 cause something to ignite or explode by touching it with a match.

  ■ cause something to happen suddenly.

• 2 (of a racehorse) defeat another horse in a race by a short margin.

touch on (or upon)

• 1 deal briefly with (a subject).

• 2 come near to being.

touch someone up Brit. informal caress someone without their consent for sexual pleasure.
touch something up make small improvements to something.

– derivatives
touchable adjective.

– origin ME: the verb from OFr. tochier, prob. from a Romance word of imitative origin; the noun orig. from OFr. touche, later (in certain senses) directly from the verb.