untouchable

untouchable
untouchable (adj.) 1560s, "immaterial," from UN- (Cf. un-) (1) "not" + touchable (see TOUCH (Cf. touch) (v.)). Meaning "that legally cannot be interfered with" is recorded from 1734. Meaning "too loathsome or defiling to be touched" is recorded from 1873. The noun, in reference to a hereditary low caste of India, is attested from 1909; the term and the restrictions were made illegal in India in 1947.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • untouchable — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not able to be touched or affected. 2) unable to be matched or rivalled. 3) historical of or belonging to the lowest caste Hindu group or the people outside the caste system. ► NOUN historical ▪ a member of the lowest caste Hindu… …   English terms dictionary

  • untouchable — [un tuch′ə bəl] adj. that cannot or should not be touched n. 1. an untouchable person or thing 2. in India, any member of the lowest castes, whose touch was regarded as defiling to higher caste Hindus: discrimination against these people (now… …   English World dictionary

  • untouchable — index dispassionate, immune, impalpable, inalienable, intangible Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

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  • untouchable — [[t]ʌntʌ̱tʃəb(ə)l[/t]] untouchables 1) ADJ GRADED If you say that someone is untouchable, you mean that they cannot be affected or punished in any way. I want to make it clear, however, that no one is untouchable in this investigation. N COUNT An …   English dictionary

  • untouchable — I UK [ʌnˈtʌtʃəb(ə)l] / US adjective 1) too powerful to be punished or controlled For many years, the institution was an untouchable force in politics. 2) much better at something than similar people or things His batting record may prove… …   English dictionary

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