noli me tangere

[ noh-lahy mee tan-juh-ree, noh-lee; Latin noh-lee me tahng-ge-re ]

noun

a person or thing that must not be touched or interfered with.
a picture representing Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection.

Also no·li-me-tan·ge·re. the touch-me-not.

Origin of noli me tangere

<Latin: do not touch me (Jesus' words to Mary Magdalene)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use noli me tangere in a sentence

This quality is expressed twice over in the Latin name Impatiens noli-me-tangere.
Springtime and Other Essays | Francis Darwin
Noli-me-tangere, the Scotch fiddle, or other contagious disease.
The Slang Dictionary | John Camden Hotten
True, she had her lovely little serene, holy, noli-me-tangere air; but I thought that would pass.
A House-Party | Ouida

British Dictionary definitions for noli-me-tangere

noli-me-tangere

/ (ˈnəʊlɪˌmeɪˈtæŋɡərɪ) /

noun

a warning against interfering or against touching a person or thing
a work of art depicting Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene after His Resurrection

another name for touch-me-not
a cancerous ulcer affecting soft tissue and bone

Origin of noli-me-tangere

from Latin: do not touch me, the words spoken by Christ to Mary Magdalene (Vulgate, John 20:17)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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