Dictionary

touch the hem of someone's garment en · VERB

Pronunciation

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Etymology

An allusion to the Biblical tale (Matthew 9:20) of the woman who was cured of disease when she touched the hem of Christ's garment.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To give respect or reverence to someone; to express servitude to someone; to draw strength or comfort from someone who is superior.
   • "I do love you," he said with a strong effort to control himself, "but I am not worthy to touch the hem of your garment." 1903, Irving Bacheller, chapter 29, in Darrel of the Blessed Isles:
   • Thus, at peace with God and the world, the farmer of Grand-Pré Lived on his sunny farm, and Evangeline governed his household. Many a youth, as he knelt in the church and opened his missal, Fixed his eyes upon her, as the saint of his deepest devotion; Happy was he who might touch her hand or the hem of her garment! 1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, chapter 1, in Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, →OCLC, part I:
   • President Clinton is due at Brooklyn College. . . . "If he just wants to cut a ribbon or let us touch the hem of his garment, we don't need that." 1994 March 9, Todd S. Purdum, “Clinton's Coming to New York, But Mayor May Skip Invitation”, in New York Times, retrieved 17 Sep 2013:
   • Nelson Mandela . . . can bathe in the adulation of a worldwide throng yearning to, if not touch the hem of his garment, at least catch a glimpse of him whirring by in a motorcade. 2001 June 24, Richard Lacayo, “A Hero's Welcome”, in Time, retrieved 17 Sep 2013:

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Relateds

kiss someone's ring