touch-me-not

American  

[tuhch-mee-not] / ˈtʌtʃ miˌnɒt /

noun

1. 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.

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touch-me-not British  

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of touch-me-not

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

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

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

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

Everyone knows the garden plant touch-me-not, so called from the curious irritability of its pods, which writhe in an uncanny way when we gather them. 

From Springtime and Other Essays by Darwin, Francis, Sir