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

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

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

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

The elder edge with its warm perfume, And the sapphire stars of the bluet bloom; The moss, the fern, and the touch-me-not I breathed, and the mint-smell keen and hot.

From The Garden of Dreams by Cawein, Madison J.