Dictionary

touchstone en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈtʌt͡ʃstəʊn/

Etymology

From touch + stone.

Meanings

1. A stone used to verify the quality of gold alloys by rubbing them in order to leave a visible trace.
2. (broadly, figuratively) A standard of comparison or evaluation.
   • The foregoing doctrine affords us also a touchstone for the trial of spirits. 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
   • Although there has not been very much direct treatment of the Holocaust in analytic moral philosophy, the Nazis appear again and again as examples or touchstones in the construction of moral theories. 2002 January, Eve Garrard, “Forgiveness and the Holocaust”, in Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, page 147:
   • In the print firestorm that followed the publication of the royal couple's letters, the generalissima was one polemical touchstone. The Annotations to The Kings Cabinet Opened itself depicted the queen as an enemy to king and country: […] 2012, Ann Baynes Coiro, Thomas Fulton, Rethinking Historicism from Shakespeare to Milton, page 243:
   • Near-synonym: comparator
   • Brokeback Mountain did take home three Oscars, including a prestigious best director prize for Ang Lee, and remains a beloved gay touchstone. 2025 June 20, Nick Levine, “'In every theatre, people would leave': How 'gay cowboy movie' Brokeback Mountain challenged Hollywood – and the US”, in BBC:
   • "Expectation of life" is an elastic term: the touchstone here is rather the aggregate amount of work that the locomotive does during its working life. 1950 January, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 12:

Forms

Relateds

reference · benchmark · model · cornerstone · capstone · philosopher's stone · keystone · norm · tester · bellwether · exemplar

Synonyms

comparator

Translations (79)

hy չափանիշ (standard of comparison or evaluation) · de Prüfstein (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi कसौटी (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · da prøvesten (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi कसौटी (standard of comparison or evaluation) · tr denek taşı (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · fa سنگ محک (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · uk пробірний камінь (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · bg критерий (standard of comparison or evaluation) · ja 試金石 (standard of comparison or evaluation) · el βάσανος (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hi निकषण (standard of comparison or evaluation) · tr mihenk taşı (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · tr denek taşı (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hi परस (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · ar مِحَكّ (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · es piedra de toque (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · gl pedra de toque (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hu próbakő (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · pt pedra de toque (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi मापदंड (standard of comparison or evaluation) · nl maatstaf (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hi निकषण (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi सान (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · sv prövosten (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · it pietra di paragone (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · my မှတ်ကျောက် (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · cs prubířský kámen (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hy փորձաքար (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi निकष (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · nl toetssteen (standard of comparison or evaluation) · it pietra di paragone (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hi स्पर्शमणि (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · el λυδία λίθος (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · eu froga-harri (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · es norma (standard of comparison or evaluation) · pt pedra de toque (standard of comparison or evaluation) · nn prøvestein (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · xcl սմպատակ (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · fi koetinkivi (standard of comparison or evaluation) · yi אבֿן־בוחן (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · tr mihenk (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hu ismérv (standard of comparison or evaluation) · tr mihenk taşı (standard of comparison or evaluation) · ko 시금석 (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · ta உரைகல் (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · fr touchau (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · de Prüfstein (standard of comparison or evaluation) · gl pedra de toque (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · ko 기준 (standard of comparison or evaluation) · ota مهنك (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · fi koetinkivi (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi शान (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi परीक्षा (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hi पैमाना (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hi मापदंड (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi मानदंड (standard of comparison or evaluation) · hy փորձաքար (standard of comparison or evaluation) · is prófsteinn (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · sv probersten (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hu kritérium (standard of comparison or evaluation) · nl toetssteen (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · hi पारस (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · tr mihenk (standard of comparison or evaluation) · pl kamień probierczy (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · sv prövosten (standard of comparison or evaluation) · bg пробен камък (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · sh пробни камен (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · de Probierstein (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · sh probni kamen (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · pl probierz (standard of comparison or evaluation) · nb prøvestein (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · cmn 試金石 /试金石 (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · ru проби́рный ка́мень (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · cmn 試金石 /试金石 (standard of comparison or evaluation) · ca pedra de toc (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · es toque (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys) · fr pierre de touche (standard of comparison or evaluation) · ja 試金石 (stone used to test the quality of gold alloys)