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torch (tôrch)
Share:
n.
1.
a. 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.
b. Chiefly British A flashlight.
2. Something that serves to illuminate, enlighten, or guide.
3. Slang An arsonist.
4. A portable apparatus that produces a very hot flame by the combustion of gases, used in welding and construction.
5. Longstanding unrequited romantic feelings for a person: My torch for her has finally gone out.
tr.v. torched, torch·ing, torch·es
Slang
To cause to burn or undergo combustion, especially with extraordinary rapidity, force, or thoroughness.
Idioms:
carry a torch
To have longstanding feelings of love that are not requited: still carrying the torch for a man she knew in her twenties.
put to the torch
To destroy by fire; burn down.

[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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.