Synonym Game

touchstone

[tuhch-stohn] Origin

touch·stone

[tuhch-stohn]
noun
1.
a test or criterion for the qualities of a thing.
2.
a black siliceous stone formerly used to test the purity of gold and silver by the color of the streak produced on it by rubbing it with either metal.

Origin:
1475–85; touch + stone


1. standard, measure, model, pattern.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Touchstone is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Collins
World English Dictionary
touchstone (ˈtʌtʃˌstəʊn)
 
n
1.  a criterion or standard by which judgment is made
2.  a hard dark siliceous stone, such as basalt or jasper, that is used to test the quality of gold and silver from the colour of the streak they produce on it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

touchstone
late 15c., from touch (v.) + stone. Black quartz, used for testing the quality of gold and silver alloys by the color of the streak made by rubbing them on it. Cf. also basalt. Figurative sense is from 1530s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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