toucher

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ʌtʃə(r)

Etymology

From touch, the second sense being derived from to touch someone for money.

Noun

toucher (plural touchers)

1. One who touches.
2. (bowls) A ball lying in contact with the jack.
3. (Geordie, pejorative) toucha; one who tries get something out of others for nothing in return.

Anagrams

• retouch

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French

Etymology

From Middle French toucher, touchier, from Old French tochier (compare French doublet toquer "to offend"), from unattested Vulgar Latin *toccāre (“to knock, strike, offend”), from Frankish *tokkōn, *tukkōn (“to touch”), from Proto-Germanic *tukkōną, *tukkijaną (“to jerk, knock, strike, offend”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to lead, pull, draw”), influenced by proximity to similar forms from Proto-Germanic *tēkaną (“to touch”). Cognate with Old High German zochhōn (“to grasp, seize”), Old High German zuchôn (“to jerk, tug”), Middle Low German tucken (“to tug”), Old Dutch tocken, tucken (“to touch, entise”), Old English tucian, tūcian (“to mistreat, disturb, torment”), Gothic 𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌰𐌽 (tekan, “to touch”), Old Norse taka (“to touch grasp”), Old English tacan (“to touch, take”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tu.ʃe/, X-SAMPA: /tu.Se/

• Audio (France, Paris)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e
• Homophones: touchai, touché, touchée, touchées, touchers, touchés, touchez

Noun

toucher m (plural touchers)

1. The act of touching (see below).
2. A way of touching.
3. The sense of touch, tactility.

Verb

toucher

1. (transitive) To touch (physically).

   Ne me touche pas !

   Don't touch me!

2. (transitive) To touch, to move (emotionally).
3. (transitive) To affect

   La maladie touche actuellement 2 millions de personnes.

   The disease currently affects 2 million people.

4. (intransitive, followed by "à") To try, to try out.

   Je n'ai jamais touché au tabac

   I've never tried tobacco

5. (intransitive) (colloquial) Short for toucher sa bille. To be skillful.

   Ce mec est un ancien critique d'art. Je peux te dire qu'il touche en peinture !

   This guy is a former art critic. Believe me, he knows a thing or two about painting!

6. (transitive, money, income) to receive, to get

Conjugation

   Conjugation of toucher (see also Appendix:French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		toucher			avoir touché
gerund		en touchant			en ayant touché
present participle		touchant
past participle		touché
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
simple tenses	present	touche	touches	touche	touchons	touchez	touchent
	imperfect	touchais	touchais	touchait	touchions	touchiez	touchaient
	past historic1	touchai	touchas	toucha	touchâmes	touchâtes	touchèrent
	future	toucherai	toucheras	touchera	toucherons	toucherez	toucheront
	conditional	toucherais	toucherais	toucherait	toucherions	toucheriez	toucheraient
compound tenses	present perfect	Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	past anterior1	Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	future perfect	Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	conditional perfect	Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il	que nous	que vous	qu’ils
simple tenses	present	touche	touches	touche	touchions	touchiez	touchent
	imperfect1	touchasse	touchasses	touchât	touchassions	touchassiez	touchassent
compound tenses	past	Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect1	Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
		—	touche	—	touchons	touchez	—
1literary tenses

Descendants

• Dutch: toucheren

References

• Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition

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Middle French

Verb

toucher

1. to touch

Conjugation

   Conjugation of toucher

		simple			compound
infinitive		toucher			avoir touché
gerund		en touchant			Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle
present participle		touchant
past participle		touché
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (may be j' before a vowel)	tu	il	nous	vous	ils, elles
simple tenses	present	touche	touches	touche	touchons	touchez	touchent
	imperfect	touchois, touchoys	touchois, touchoys	touchoit, touchoyt	touchions, touchyons	touchiez, touchyez	touchoient, touchoyent
	past historic	toucha	touchas	toucha	touchasmes	touchastes	toucherent
	future	toucherai, toucheray	toucheras	touchera	toucherons	toucherez	toucheront
	conditional	toucherois, toucheroys	toucherois, toucheroys	toucheroit, toucheroyt	toucherions, toucheryons	toucheriez, toucheryez	toucheroient, toucheroyent
compound tenses	present perfect	Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	past anterior	Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	future perfect	Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	conditional perfect	Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle
subjunctive		que je	que tu	qu'il	que nous	que vous	qu'ils, qu'elles
simple tenses	present	touche	touches	touche	touchons	touchez	touchent
	imperfect	touchasse	touchasses	touchast	touchassions	touchassiez	touchassent
compound tenses	past	Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
		—	touche	—	touchons	touchez	—