tactile

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈtæktaɪl/ See IPA manual

Freq #37842

Meanings

1

adj
Relating to the sense of touch.

Babies learn through tactile exploration of objects.
2

adj
Able to be felt by touching.

The book has raised, tactile letters for blind readers.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · relating to the sense of... haptic tactual

More palpable tangible touchable

Opposites

intangibleintouchableuntouchable

Word family

Derived forms audiotactilechemotactileelectrotactileentactogenmechanotactilenontactileorotactilepedotactilepneumotactileprotactiletactilelytactility

Related forms haptic palpable touchable

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

tactile sensation
a feeling produced through the sense of touch

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Tactile comes from the Latin family of tangere, “to touch,” which also produced tactus, “touch.” When tactile entered English in the early seventeenth century, it meant “perceptible by touch.”

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French tactile, from Latin tactilis (“that may be touched, tangible”), from tangere (“to touch”).

*teh₂g- Proto-Indo-European tactile Middle French tactilis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# tactile

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈtæktaɪl/
**Frequency rank:** 37842

## Meanings
1. Relating to the sense of touch.
2. Able to be felt by touching.

## Examples
- Babies learn through tactile exploration of objects.
- The book has raised, tactile letters for blind readers.

## Synonyms
- palpable
- tangible
- touchable

## Antonyms
- intangible
- intouchable
- untouchable

## Derived Forms
- audiotactile
- chemotactile
- electrotactile
- entactogen
- mechanotactile
- nontactile
- orotactile
- pedotactile
- pneumotactile
- protactile
- tactilely
- tactility

## Related Forms
- haptic
- palpable
- touchable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *teh₂g-
- Root: tactile
- Root: tactilis

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French tactile, from Latin tactilis (“that may be touched, tangible”), from tangere (“to touch”).

## AI Etymology
Tactile is borrowed from Middle French tactile, from Latin tactilis (“that may be touched, tangible”), from tangere (“to touch”). In present-day use, it can mean relating to the sense of touch, or able to be felt by touching. Derived formations include audiotactile, chemotactile, electrotactile, entactogen, mechanotactile.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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