Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “touchy” come from?

I appreciate the detailed setup, but I notice there's a critical problem: the etymological chain provided traces "tetchy/tech/technician/technic" back through Latin and Proto-Indo-European, but the headword is "touchy," which doesn't appear in that chain at all. These are completely different etymologies: - **Touchy** derives from "touch" (Old French *tuchier*) - **Tetchy** derives from "tetch" (possibly from "tic" or dialectal origins) I cannot write an accurate summary sentence because the chain doesn't support the headword given. Could you provide: 1. The correct etymological chain for "touchy," or 2. Clarification that the headword should be "tetchy"? I won't fabricate a connection between "touchy" and a "tech-" etymology just to complete the assignment.

touchy (English): Extremely sensitive or volatile; easily disturbed...

Definitions

  1. Extremely sensitive or volatile; easily disturbed...

Ancestry of “touchy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishtechytechnical; Obsolete form of tetchy
2Englishtechtechnology; technician; technique
3EnglishtechnologyThe organization of knowledge for practical...
4Ancient Greekτεχνολογίαsystematic treatment of grammar
5Ancient Greekτεχνολόγοςtreating by rules of art; writer on the art of...
6Ancient Greekτέχνηcraft, skill, trade; art; cunning, wile
7Ancient Greek-λογίαBase for nouns denoting the study of something,...
8Ancient GreekλόγοςThat which is said: word, sentence, speech,...
9Ancient GreekλέγωI put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...

Words derived from “touchy”

  • touchiness
  • touchily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- →