touchwood

[ tuhch-woo d ]

/ ˈtʌtʃˌwʊd /

noun

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

Mycology. amadou.

Nearby words

Origin of touchwood

First recorded in 1570–80; touch + wood¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for touchwood

Mr. Touchwood scorned to listen to such an insinuation until the fated hour arrived, and brought with it no Mr. Cargill.
St. Ronan's Well|Sir Walter Scott
“A drizzling morning, good madam,” said Mr. Touchwood, as with a view of sounding what sort of company he had got into.
St. Ronan's Well|Sir Walter Scott
But prolonged drought had rendered everything as dry as touchwood.
Saddle and Mocassin|Francis Francis Jr.
The girls picked up Raymonde out of a cloud of dust and a mass of touchwood.
The Madcap of the School|Angela Brazil

The tin was there so that we could make a fire in it of paper and touchwood.
A Little Fleet|Jack B. Yeats

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