Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “retouch” come from?

Retouch comes from French retoucher, formed from the prefix re- and toucher meaning "to touch," ultimately deriving from Latin tangere.

retouch (English): To improve something , by adding or correcting...

Definitions

  1. To improve something , by adding or correcting...

Ancestry of “retouch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchretoucherto retouch; to touch up, to put the finishing...
2FrenchtoucherThe act of touching; A way of touching; The sense...
3German-ierenVerb suffix: it and its inflected forms are found...
4French-erForms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
5English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
6Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
7Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
8Latin-āre—
9Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
10Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
11Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
12Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
13Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “retouch”

  • retoucher
  • retouchment
Every word from Chichewa iye →