I.“tagit Pacuvius in Teucro: ut ego, si quisquam me tagit. Et tagam idem in Hermiona: aut non cernam, nisi tagam: sine dubio antiquā consuetudine usurpavit. Nam nunc ea sine praepositionibus non dicuntur, ut contigit, attigit,” Fest. p. 356 Müll.: PELLEX ARAM IVNONIS NE TANGITO, Lex Numae ap. Fest. p. 222 ib.: sed o Petruelle, ne meum taxis librum, Varr. ap. Non. 176, 18, and 180, 8), v. a. root tag-; Gr. τε-ταγ-ών, grasping; τῆ, take; Lat. tago, tagax; Goth. tēkan, to touch; Engl. take; cf.: inter, contages, to touch (syn. tracto).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: “tangere enim et tangi, nisi corpus, nulla potest res, Lucr 1, 304: tange utramvis digitulo minimo modo,” Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 15: “genu terram tangere,” Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 57: “virgā Virginis os,” Ov. M. 11, 308: “aliquem cubito,” Hor. S. 2, 5, 42.—
B. In partic.
1. To touch, i. e.,
a. To take, take away, curry off: Sa. Tetigin' tui quidquam? Aes. Si attigisses, ferres infortunium, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 24: “de praedā meā teruncium nec attigit nec tacturus est quisquam,” Cic. Fam. 2, 17, 4: “quia tangam nullum ab invito,” id. Agr. 2, 25, 67; Liv. 29, 20. —
b. To taste, to eat, to drink: “salsa sunt, tangere ut non velis,” Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 35: “illa (corpora) Non cani tetigere lupi,” Ov. M. 7, 550: “saporem,” id. F. 3, 745: “cupiens varià fastidia cenā Vincere tangentis male singula dente superbo,” Hor. S. 2, 6, 87: “Superorum tangere mensas,” Ov. M. 6, 173: “tetigit calicem clanculum,” has emptied, Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 10. —
2. Of places.
a. To reach, arrive at, come to a place (syn. pervenio): “Verres simul ac tetigit provinciam, statim, etc.,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 10, § 27; cf. id. Att. 6, 1, 6: “portus,” Verg. A. 4, 612: “terminum mundi armis,” Hor. C. 3, 3, 54: “vada,” id. ib. 1, 3, 24: “lucum gradu,” Ov. M. 3, 36: “domos,” id. ib. 4, 779; “6, 601: quem (Nilum) simul ac tetigit,” id. ib. 1, 729: “ut tellus est mihi tacta,” id. Tr. 3, 2, 18: “limina,” id. M. 10, 456; Juv. 14, 44: “nocturno castra dolo,” Ov. H. 1, 42 et saep.—
b. To border on, be contiguous to: “qui (fundi) Tiberim fere omnes tangunt,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 7, 20: “haec civitas Rhenum tangit,” Caes. B. G. 5, 3: “quae (villa) viam tangeret,” Cic. Mil. 19, 51: “vertice sidera,” Ov. M. 7, 61. —
3. To touch, i. e.,
a. To strike, hit, beat (mostly poet.): “chordas,” Ov. R. Am. 336: “flagello Chloen,” Hor. C. 3, 26, 12: “quem tetigit jactu,” Prop. 2, 34 (3, 32), 60: “loca tangere fundā,” Tib. 4, 1, 97: “te hora Caniculae Nescit tangere,” to touch, affect, Hor. C. 3, 13, 10.—Euphem., to put to death: “quemquam praeterea oportuisse tangi,” Cic. Att. 15, 11, 2: “statua aut aera legum de caelo tacta,” i.e. struck by lightning, id. Div. 2, 21, 47; so, de caelo tactus, Liv. 25, 7, 7; 29, 14, 3; Verg. E. 1, 17: “e caelo tactum,” Plin. 36, 4, 4, § 10; cf.: “ulmus fulmine tacta,” Ov. Tr. 2, 144: “tacta aedes Junonis,” Plin. 2, 54, 55, § 144.—Prov.: “tetigisti acu (rem),” you have hit the nail on the head, Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 19; cf.: “tangis en ipsos metus,” the thing you fear, Sen. Oedip. 795.—
b. To take hold of, to touch, handle, etc.; “esp. in mal. part.: virginem,” Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 52: “cur id ausus's facere ut id quod non tuom esset tangeres?” Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 14; Ter. Heaut. 4, 6, 15; id. Eun. 4, 7, 27 sq.; Cat. 21, 8; Hor. S. 1, 2, 28; 1, 2, 54.—Absol.: “cibum una capias, assis, tangas, ludas, propter dormias,” Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 81 (82): “si non tangendi copia'st,” id. ib. 4, 2, 10; id. Phorm. 5, 8 (9), 5.—
4. To besprinkle, moisten, wash, smear, anoint (poet. and in post-Aug. prose; “syn. tingo): corpus aquā,” Ov. F. 4, 790: “comas tristi medicamine,” id. M. 6, 140: “oculos olivo,” Pers. 3, 44: “superiorem palpebram salivā,” Plin. 28, 4, 7, § 38: “caput igne sulfuris,” Prop. 4 (5), 8, 86. cf.: “voluit tangi lucerna mero,” id. 4 (5), 3, 60: “luto corpora tangit amor,” Tib. 1, 8, 52.—
5. To color, dye: “supercilium madidā fuligine,” Juvenc. 2, 93. —
II. Trop.
A. Of the mind or feelings, to touch, move, affect, impress: “minae Clodii contentionesque modice me tangunt,” Cic. Att. 2, 19, 1: “si vos urbis, si vestri nulla cura tangit,” Liv. 3, 17, 3: “Numitori tetigerat animum memoria nepotum,” id. 1, 5: “mentem mortalia tangunt,” Verg. A. 1, 462: “si curat cor spectantis tetigisse querela,” Hor. A. P. 98: “nec formā tangor, poteram tamen hac quoque tangi,” Ov. M. 10, 614: “vota tamen tetigere deos, tetigere parentes,” id. ib. 4, 164: “nymphas tetigit nova res,” id. ib. 15, 552: “nec amor nos tangit habendi,” id. A. A. 3, 541: “exemplo tangi,” id. H. 15 (16), 326; id. F. 5, 489; Prop. 1, 9, 17: “religione tactus hospes,” Liv. 1, 45, 7: “tetigerat animum memoria nepotum,” id. 1, 5, 6: “si quem gloria tangit,” Sen. Hippol. 27.—
B. Qs. to prick or stick one, i. e.,
1. To take in, trick, dupe; to cozen or cheat out of any thing (anteclass.): “tuom tangam patrem,” Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 118; cf.: “probe tactus Ballio est,” id. ib. 5, 2, 13: “tangere hominem volt bolo,” id. Poen. prol. 101: “istis adeo te tetigi triginta minis,” id. Ep. 5, 2, 40: senem triginta minis, Poët. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 64, 257: “lenunculum aere militari,” Plaut. Poen. 5, 5, 7: patrem talento argenti, Turp. ap. Non. 408, 28: “tactus sum vehementer visco,” I am limed, caught, Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 39: “volucres harundinibus,” Petr. 109.—
2. To sting or nettle any one by something said: “quo pacto Rhodium tetigerim in convivio,” Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 30; cf. “maledictis,” Fest. p. 356 Müll.—
C. Of speech, to touch upon, mention, speak of, refer to, cite: “non tango, quod avarus homo est, quodque improbu' mitto, Lucil. ap. Rufin. Schem. Lex. § 12 (p. 274 Frotsch.): leviter unum quodque tangam,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 30, 83: “ubi Aristoteles ista tetigit?” id. Ac. 2, 44, 136: “illud tertium, quod a Crasso tactum est,” id. de Or. 2, 10, 43: ne tangantur rationes ad Opis, be discussed, examined, Anton. ap. Cic. Phil. 8, 9, 26: “si tacta loquar,” Manil. 3, 21; cf.: “quid minus utibile fuit quam hoc ulcus tangere Aut nominare uxorem?” Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 9.—
D. To take in hand, undertake (rare): “carmina,” Ov. Am. 3, 12, 17: quis te Carminis heroi tangere jussit opus? prop. 4, 2 (3, 3), 16.