Common Senses: Tact, Tang ("Touch")

Learn these words that derive from the Latin verb tangere, meaning "to touch."

Here are links to the complete set of Common Senses lists:
Hearing: Phon / Aud / Son
Sight: Vid, Vis / Spec, Spect, Spic / Op, Ops, Opt
Touch: Path / Sent, Sens / Tact, Tang
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tangent
    a line that touches a curve at only one point
    The cutoff for classifying super-enhancers was defined as refs 24, 25, or the point where a line with a slope 1 is tangent to the curve of normalized region signal versus region ranking. Nature (Feb 17, 2015)
  2. tangential
    of superficial relevance if any
    They all begin unfocused, the discussions abstract or tangential, the conversations meandering and often far off topic. Scientific American (Sep 9, 2013)
  3. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
    This is also the easiest technique to utilize, because gifts come in many forms, from non-material compliments, to tangible material gifts. Time (May 14, 2014)
  4. intangible
    incapable of being perceived by the senses, especially touch
    But he felt like he’d left some part of himself in the courtyard below, something he hadn’t even known mattered, intangible as mist. Six of Crows
  5. tact
    consideration in dealing with others
    This personal political situation, involving far more subtle loyalties, requires gentler tact yet an equally firm hand. The Guardian (Jul 24, 2013)
    Tactus is a Latin noun formed from the past participle of tangere and means "a touch; the sense of touch; handling." Someone who displays tact is good at handling difficult situations.
  6. tactless
    lacking what is considerate in dealing with others
    The "touchiness" of the world in general affords tactless persons a perennial source of offended astonishment. Cholmondeley, Mary
  7. tactile
    producing a sensation of touch
    A sensory room contains lights and music and tactile objects to stimulate the senses. BBC (Dec 28, 2013)
  8. tactual
    of or relating to or proceeding from the sense of touch
    Every quality it possesses is represented by a corresponding visual, auditory, tactual or other sensation. Hilton, Warren
  9. intact
    undamaged in any way
    During the rebuild, Dad wanted to include pieces of the house they’d lost, so he insisted on using all the intact bricks he’d managed to save when they cleared the rubble. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
  10. contact
    a communicative interaction
    However, doctors are discovering that, for appropriate patients, alternative forms of patient contact can be very effective: email, telephone, video-conferencing, etc. Forbes (May 27, 2014)
  11. contagion
    any disease easily transmitted by contact
    During the second, a Level Two drill meant for minor crises—such as a temporary quarantine while citizens were tested for contagion during a flu outbreak—we were supposed to return to our living quarters. Mockingjay
  12. contagious
    (of disease) capable of being spread by infection
    Measles is one of the world's most contagious diseases. BBC (Aug 19, 2019)
  13. contiguous
    having a common boundary or edge
    It would be ideal if the protected areas were in contiguous blocks connecting ranchlands in one area to those in another. Scientific American (Feb 22, 2013)
    The Latin contiguus, meaning "near, touching" comes from contingere, which in turn derives from com ("together") + tangere.
  14. contingent
    determined by conditions or circumstances that follow
    The two-year withdrawal plan for Afghanistan is contingent on the next Afghan president signing a security agreement with the U.S. US News (May 28, 2014)
Created on Tue May 27 21:45:21 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 20 14:46:07 EDT 2019)

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