Touchstone - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT touchstone /ˌtʌtʃˈstoʊn/ /ˈtʌtʃstəʊn/ IPA guide

Other forms: touchstones

Use the noun touchstone to describe a basis for comparison. For example, a filmmaker's touchstone might be her all-time favorite movie; she wants her movie to be that good or similar to it in some way.

Touchstone as it is defined today comes from an actual stone. In the late 15th century, gold and silver was rubbed, or touched against black quartz — the touchstone — to determine the purity of the metals. This was done by looking at the color of the streaks left on the stone. This is why a touchstone, in the figurative sense as it is used today, is a measuring tool.

Definitions of touchstone

noun a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated synonyms: criterion, measure, standard see moresee less types: show 22 types... hide 22 types... benchmark a standard by which something can be measured or judged ERA, earned run average (baseball) a measure of a pitcher's effectiveness; calculated as the average number of earned runs allowed by the pitcher for every nine innings pitched GPA, grade point average a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted procrustean bed, procrustean rule, procrustean standard a standard that is enforced uniformly without regard to individuality yardstick a measure or standard used for comparison medium of exchange, monetary system anything that is generally accepted as a standard of value and a measure of wealth in a particular country or region graduated table, ordered series, scale, scale of measurement an ordered reference standard gauge, standard of measurement accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared baseline an imaginary line or standard by which things are measured or compared norm a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical legal tender, stamp, tender something that can be used as an official medium of payment money the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender currency the metal or paper medium of exchange that is presently used Beaufort scale, wind scale an international scale of wind force from 0 (calm air) to 12 (hurricane) index a numerical scale used to compare variables with one another or with some reference number logarithmic scale scale on which actual distances from the origin are proportional to the logarithms of the corresponding scale numbers Mercalli scale a scale formerly used to describe the magnitude of an earthquake; an earthquake detected only by seismographs is a I and an earthquake that destroys all buildings is a XII Mohs scale a scale of hardness of solids; talc is 0 and diamond is 10; ordering is determined by which substance can scratch another substance Richter scale a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 formerly used to express the magnitude of an earthquake on the basis of the size of seismograph oscillations moment magnitude scale a logarithmic scale of 1 to 10 (a successor to the Richter scale) that enables seismologists to compare the energy released by different earthquakes on the basis of the area of the geological fault that ruptured in the quake temperature scale a system of measuring temperature wage scale, wage schedule a schedule of wages paid for different jobs type of: metric, system of measurement a system of related measures that facilitates the quantification of some particular characteristic

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Vocabulary lists containing touchstone

50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: "Trying to Inspire a New Generation" by Trip Gabriel

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his landmark "I Have A Dream" speech at the March on Washington on August 28th, 1963. In this article about the 50th anniversary of the event, journalist Trip Gabriel reflects on the speech, its legacy, and its relevance to the present day. Read the full text of the article here.

Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address (1801)

1800 was a bitter election year. The incumbent Federalist president ran against his Democratic-Republican vice-president. John Adams lost, but two rival candidates tied. The House of Representatives decided that Aaron Burr would get the secondary title. On March 4, 1801, in the new capital of Washington D.C., Thomas Jefferson was sworn in as the third president. Here are some of his words urging reconciliation.

This Week in Words: June 4 - 8, 2018

No time to scour the headlines or watch the news? No problem! We’ve rounded up the top words heard, read, debated, and discussed this week. This week was can be described as "out with the old, in with the new." President Trump and his lawyers are working on a new theory of presidential power, one that questions whether it is legally feasible to indict a sitting president, or if he is immune from prosecution. New medical advancements can mimic human corneas and tooth enamel. Two touchstones in business and culture have exited the stage — Howard Schultz of Starbucks and David Koch of Koch Industries have both decided to retire. Take a look back at the week that was, vocabulary style.

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