torch

English

torches carried in a parade

Etymology

From Old French torche, ultimately from Latin torqueō (“twist”).

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /tɔː(ɹ)ʧ/, SAMPA: /tO:(r)tS/
• (US) IPA: /tɔɹʧ/, SAMPA: /tOrtS/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)tʃ

Noun

torch (plural torches)

1. A stick with a flame on one end used as a light source.

   The mob of angry villagers carried torches and pitchforks to the vampire's castle.

2. (Australian, New Zealand, UK) A portable source of electric light.

   Ernst slipped and dropped his torch on the flagstones, shattering the bulb and plunging us into darkness.

Synonyms

• (stick with fire at one end): brand
• (portable electric light): flashlight (US)

Derived terms

• carry a torch for

Translations

stick with flame at one end

Arabic: مِشْعَل (ar) (mísh3al) m. Armenian: ջահ (hy) (ǰah) Catalan: torxa (ca) f. Chinese: Mandarin: 薪火 (zh) (xīnhuǒ), 火炬 (zh) (huǒjù) Czech: pochodeň (cs) f. Danish: fakkel (da) Dutch: toorts (nl), fakkel (nl) Esperanto: torĉo (eo) Finnish: soihtu (fi) French: torche (fr) f. Georgian: ჩირაღდანი (ka) (čirağdani) German: Fackel (de) f. Hebrew: אבוקה (he) (avukah) f. Hindi: मशाल (hi) (maśāl), टार्च (hi) (ṭārc) m. Hungarian: fáklya (hu) Icelandic: kyndill (is) m. Indonesian: obor (id) Italian: fiaccola (it) f., torcia (it) f. Japanese: 松明 (ja) (たいまつ, táimatsu), トーチ (ja) (tōchi) Khmer: ចន្លុះ (km) (janloh) Korean: 횃불 (ko) (hwaetbul)

Latin: fax (la) f., taeda (la) f. Latvian: lāpa (lv) f. Lithuanian: deglas (lt) m. Malay: jamung (ms), obor (ms) Mongolian: бамбар (mn) (bambar) Old English: (poetic) cēn (ang) m. Persian: مشعل (fa) Polish: pochodnia (pl) f. Portuguese: tocha (pt) f. Romanian: torță (ro), făclie (ro), fachie (ro) Russian: факел (ru) (fákel) m. Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: ба̏кља (sh) f. Roman: bȁklja (sh) f. Slovak: please add this translation if you can Slovene: bakla (sl) f. Spanish: antorcha (es) f. Swahili: kurunzi (sw) Swedish: bloss (sv), fackla (sv) Turkish: meşale (tr) Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can Welsh: tors (cy) m. and f.

portable electric light

Arabic: مِشْعَل (ar) (mísh3al) m. Armenian: լապտեր (hy) (lapter) Catalan: llanterna (ca) f. Chinese: Mandarin: 手電筒 (zh), 手电筒 (zh) (shǒudiàntǒng) Czech: baterka (cs) f. Dutch: zaklamp (nl) Finnish: taskulamppu (fi) French: lampe de poche (fr) f., torche (fr) f. Georgian: ელექტრო ფარანი (elek‘tro p‘arani) German: Taschenlampe (de) f. Hindi: टार्च (hi) (ṭārc) m. Hungarian: zseblámpa (hu), elemlámpa (hu)

Italian: torcia (it) f. Japanese: 懐中電燈 (ja) (かいちゅうでんとう, kaichū dentō) Korean: 등불 (ko) (deungbul) Latin: lanterna (la), fax (la) Malay: lampu picit (ms) Polish: latarka (pl) f. Portuguese: lanterna (pt) f. Romanian: lanternă (ro) Russian: фонарик (ru) (fonárik) m., фонарь (ru) (fonár’) m. Spanish: lámpara (es) f., linterna (es) Swahili: tochi (sw) Swedish: ficklampa (sv) c. Volapük: pokalampad (vo) Welsh: fflachlamp (cy) f.

See also

• handlamp
• headlamp

Verb

torch (third-person singular simple present torches, present participle torching, simple past and past participle torched)

1. To set fire to, especially using a torch (1) above.

   Some hoodlums had torched a derelict automobile, which emitted a ghastly pall of thick, black smoke that filled the street.

Synonyms

• (set fire to): burn, firebomb, ignite, inflame, set ablaze

Translations

set fire to

Finnish: polttaa (fi), sytyttää tuleen (fi) French: incendier (fr) v German: anzünden (de)

Hungarian: felgyújt (hu) Italian: incendiare (it)