touchwood

[ tuhch-wood ]

/ ˈtʌtʃˌwʊd /

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noun

wood converted into an easily ignitible substance by the action of certain fungi, and used as tinder; punk.

Mycology. amadou.

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Origin of touchwood

First recorded in 1570–80; touch + wood¹

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

How to use touchwood in a sentence

Set a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the surface of the water.
Carla Hall’s Christmas Day Treat: Rum Balls|Carla Hall|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A worn couch sitting squarely before a wood veneer wall, accented by the head of a deer.
#Setinthestreet: Your Street Corner Is Their Art Project|James Joiner|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Upstairs, in the living room, splintered logs of hemlock cackled and spat from inside the wood stove.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Conestoga Wood Specialties Corporation A Pennsylvania-based wood cabinet and specialty products manufacturer.
The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys|Abby Haglage|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I like all of them, in a way, but I like Scissorhands and Ed Wood.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Goliath wouldn't answer; the Dublin said the force was coming off, and we could not get into touch with the soldiers at all.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
He made me think of an old time magician more than anything, and I felt that with a touch of his wand he could transform us all.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
He thought they were now in touch with our troops at "X" but that they had been through some hard fighting to get there.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Thanks to Berthier's admirable system, Bonaparte was kept in touch with every part of his command.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Worst danger zone, the open sea, now traversed, but on land not yet out of the wood.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for touchwood

touchwood

/ (ˈtʌtʃˌwʊd) /

noun

something, esp dry wood or fungus material such as amadou, used as tinder

Word Origin for touchwood

C16: touch (in the sense: to kindle) + wood 1

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