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torch

 - 6 dictionary results

torch

1[tawrch] ,
–noun
1. a light to be carried in the hand, consisting of some combustible substance, as resinous wood, or of twisted flax or the like soaked with tallow or other flammable substance, ignited at the upper end.
2. something considered as a source of illumination, enlightenment, guidance, etc.: the torch of learning.
3. any of various lamplike devices that produce a hot flame and are used for soldering, burning off paint, etc.
4. Slang. an arsonist.
5. Chiefly British. flashlight (def. 1).
–verb (used without object)
6. to burn or flare up like a torch.
–verb (used with object)
7. to subject to the flame or light of a torch, as in order to burn, sear, solder, or illuminate.
8. Slang. to set fire to maliciously, esp. in order to collect insurance.
9. carry the or a torch for, Slang. to be in love with, esp. to suffer from unrequited love for: He still carries a torch for his ex-wife.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME torche (n.) < OF < VL *torca something twisted. See torque


torch⋅a⋅ble, adjective
torchless, adjective
torchlike, adjective

torch

2[tawrch] ,
–verb (used with object)
to point (the joints between roofing slates) with a mixture of lime and hair.

Origin:
1840–50; < F torcher to plaster with a mixture of clay and chopped straw, deriv. of torche a twist of straw. See torch 1

flash⋅light

[flash-lahyt]
–noun
1. Also called, especially British, torch. a small, portable electric lamp powered by dry batteries or a tiny generator.
2. a light that flashes, as a lighthouse beacon.
3. any source of artificial light as used in flash photography.

Origin:
1885–90; flash + light 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To torch
torch   (tôrch)   
n.  
    1. A portable light produced by the flame of a stick of resinous wood or of a flammable material wound about the end of a stick of wood; a flambeau.

    2. Chiefly British A flashlight.

  1. Something that serves to illuminate, enlighten, or guide.

  2. Slang An arsonist.

  3. A portable apparatus that produces a very hot flame by the combustion of gases, used in welding and construction.

tr.v.   torched, torch·ing, torch·es Slang
To cause to burn or undergo combustion, especially with extraordinary rapidity, force, or thoroughness.

[Middle English torche, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *torca, alteration of Latin torqua, variant of torquēs, torque, from Latin torquēre, to twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: TORCH
Pronunciation: 'torch
Function: noun
Etymology: toxoplasma, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus
: a group of pathological agents that cause similar symptoms in newborns and that include especially a toxoplasma (Toxoplasma gonii), cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, and thetogavirus causing German measles
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

torch

see carry a torch; pass the torch.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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