touch-me-not

[ tuhch-mee-not ]

noun

any of several plants belonging to the genus Impatiens, of the balsam family, especially I. noli-tangere, bearing pods that, when ripe, burst on being touched, scattering the seeds.

Origin of touch-me-not

First recorded in 1590–1600

Compare jewelweed.

Words Nearby touch-me-not

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use touch-me-not in a sentence

I forgot you had grown up into a young woman; another word for touch-me-not—ha!
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII No. 6 June 1848 | Various
In the twilight, we now and then, to support ourselves, snatched at the touch-me-not stem of some ancient sweet-brier.
The Oregon Trail | Francis Parkman, Jr.
She'll be fretting, and the mother pouting, and the councillor in ane o' his particular Dutch touch-me-not tempers.
The Bow of Orange Ribbon | Amelia E. Barr
Name from the sudden bursting of the pods when touched, whence also the popular appellation, touch-me-not, or Snap-weed.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States | Asa Gray
Examples—violet, jewel-weed (touch-me-not), sweet-pea, witch-hazel.
Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study | Ontario Ministry of Education

British Dictionary definitions for touch-me-not

touch-me-not

noun

any of several balsaminaceous plants of the genus Impatiens, esp I. noli-me-tangere, having yellow spurred flowers and seed pods that burst open at a touch when ripe: Also called: noli-me-tangere

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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