touch-me-not

American

[tuhch-mee-not] / ˈtʌtʃ miˌnɒt /

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.

touch-me-not British

noun

Also called: noli-me-tangere. 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

"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

Etymology

Origin of touch-me-not

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

touch-me-not

Not since his "last press conference" in 1962 has what George Wallace calls Nixon's "antiseptic, touch-me-not bubble" really been broken.

From Time Magazine Archive

With his silky bob and moon-pale skin, his top hat, tailcoat and jaunty, touch-me-not brittleness, he's a nervous giggle in a devious showman's guise.

From Time Magazine Archive

Winnie, standing at the fence in front of the touch-me-not cottage, could hear the new note in the voices of the birds.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

In Treegap, the same moonlight silvered the roof of the touch-me-not cottage, but inside, the lamps were burning.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

Yes; my motto with men is touch-me-not, and it is your own fault if I'm fierce.

From My Brilliant Career by Franklin, Miles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023