Sensory Overload: All The Feels: Touching Words For Textures

An abrasive, like sandpaper, wears something down until it's smooth. So if something has an abrasive texture, it's rough and potentially painful. Used to describe a personality, it's not a compliment: it refers to someone extremely coarse (see below) and annoying.

Paintbrushes are often made from hog bristles, and if you bristle at something it means your hair stands on end: you're defensive and on guard. Think about a porcupine and you'll get the idea. The root comes from Old German, and may go all the way back to the Sanskrit word bhrstis meaning "point".

From the Latin verb emollire meaning "to melt" or "to soften", an emollient is something that softens whatever it's applied to. If a President were to accept a gift of moisturizer from a foreign leader, he would be violating the emollients clause in the constitution. (Just kidding. That's the emoluments clause.)

Glutinous describes things, often foods, that are sticky, like short-grain rice. It's closely related to gluten, the protein that allows pizza dough to stretch out nice and thin, and which is also the Latin word for "glue".

Hirsute is an excellent word for describing something or someone that's really, really hairy. Like, not just "has hair" but is totally covered in hair, like a Sasquatch.

Something lubricious is well-lubricated and slides smoothly, like a brand new cartridge on your safety razor. If shaving cream tasted really good, you might also say "This is lubricious!" Don't try that that home, though.

Plush refers to a luxuriously soft texture, like a cashmere scarf or your favorite stuffed animal. It can also mean something that's super fancy but not necessarily soft, like a hotel room or a yacht. The word derives from the French peluche, a velvet-like cloth made from silk.

Viscous can mean "sticky" like glutinous, above, but it also refers to a thick liquid that pours slowly. Honey, which is very sticky and also pours extremely slowly, might be the most viscous liquid of all.