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torch

 
(tôrch) pronunciation
n.
    1. A portable light produced by the flame of a stick of resinous wood or of a flammable material wound about the end of a stick of wood; a flambeau.
    2. Chiefly British. A flashlight.
  1. Something that serves to illuminate, enlighten, or guide.
  2. Slang. An arsonist.
  3. A portable apparatus that produces a very hot flame by the combustion of gases, used in welding and construction.
tr.v. Slang, torched, torch·ing, torch·es.
To cause to burn or undergo combustion, especially with extraordinary rapidity, force, or thoroughness.

[Middle English torche, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *torca, alteration of Latin torqua, variant of torquēs, torque, from Latin torquēre, to twist.]


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A gas-mixing and burning tool that produces a hot flame for the welding or cutting of metal. The torch usually delivers acetylene and commercially pure oxygen producing a flame temperature of 5000–6000°F (2750–3300°C), sufficient to melt the metal locally. The torch thoroughly mixes the two gases and permits adjustment and regulation of the flame. Acetylene can produce a higher flame temperature than other fuel gases. See also Acetylene.

Torches are of two types: low-pressure and high-pressure. In a low-pressure, or injector, torch, acetylene enters a mixing chamber, where it meets a jet of high-pressure oxygen. The amount of acetylene drawn into the flame is controlled by the velocity of this oxygen jet. In a high-pressure torch both gases are delivered under pressure.

A welding torch mixes the fuel and gas internally and well ahead of the flame. For cutting, the torch delivers an additional jet of pure oxygen to the center of the flame. The oxyacetylene flame produced by the internally mixed gases raises the metal to its ignition temperature. The central oxygen jet oxidizes the metal, the oxide being blown away by the velocity of the gas jet to leave a narrow slit or kerf.


Roget's Thesaurus:

torch

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verb

    To cause to burn or undergo combustion: enkindle, fire, ignite, kindle, light1. Idioms: setafireon fire, set fire to. See hot/cold/lukewarm, start/end.

Motif, also known as a flambeau, often used in Classical ornament. If inverted, it represents the extinguishing of life and therefore occurs in funerary architecture.

i. A condition in gas turbine engines in which unburned fuel travels past the turbine, resulting in flames traveling down the jet pipe and often being expelled from the nozzle.
ii. A faulty operation in a reciprocating engine in which unburned fuel travels through the exhaust valve and burns in an exhaust pipe. This is normally because of the excessive richness of the fuel-air mixture. More often than not, a visible flame appears beyond the nozzle.

verb trans.
verb trans., orig and mainly US

1:
To set fire to, spec. in order to claim insurance money. (1931 —) .
Time Griffith relied on an arsonist turned informant...who worked as a 'broker' for landlords eager to torch their property (1977). noun

2:
US An arsonist. (1938 —) .



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categories related to 'torch'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to torch, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Torch.
A burning torch, discarded on the road in the wake of the Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations.

A torch is a fire source, usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other flammable material wrapped around one end. Torches were often supported in sconces by brackets high up on walls, to throw light over corridors in stone structures such as castles or crypts. This traditional use of the word lives on in the Olympic Torch, procession torches and the like.

A torch carried in relay by cross-country runners is used to light the Olympic flame which burns without interruption until the end of the Games. These torches and relay tradition were introduced in 1936 Summer Olympics by Carl Diem, the chairman of the event because during the duration of the Ancient Olympic Games in Olympia, a sacred flame burns inside of the temple of Hera, kept in custody by her priestess.

If a torch is made of sulfur mixed with lime, the fire will not diminish after being plunged into water. Such torches were used by the ancient Romans.

Procession torches are made from coarse hessian rolled into a tube and soaked in wax. There is usually a wooden handle and a cardboard collar to deflect any wax droplets. They are an easy, safe and relatively cheap way to hold a flame aloft in a parade, or to provide illumination in any after-dark celebration.

An unlit torch as used for fire breathing.

Juggling torches are often used as a prop in toss juggling: they can be flipped into the air in an end-over-end motion while being juggled, in the same manner as juggling clubs or juggling knives, but because of their sound and 'trail of flame', they can appear much more impressive to audiences. To a skilled juggler, there is only a slight chance of being burned, but they are still dangerous.

Contents

Symbolism

The torch is a common emblem of both enlightenment and hope. Thus the Statue of Liberty, actually "Liberty Enlightening the World", lifts her torch. Crossed reversed torches were signs of mourning that appear on Greek and Roman funerary monuments—a torch pointed downwards symbolizes death, while a torch held up symbolizes life, truth and the regenerative power of flame. The torch is also a symbol used by political parties, for instance by both Labour (from 1918 to 1980) and the Conservatives (from 1983 to 2006) in the UK, and the Malta Labour Party. In the seals of schools in the Philippines, the torch symbolizes the vision of education to provide enlightenment to all the students.

In Roman Catholic liturgy

In former times, liturgical torches were carried in Eucharistic processions simply to give light. The Church eventually adopted their use for Solemn High Masses.

According to Adrian Fortescue ("The Mass: A Study of the Roman Liturgy [1912]"), the more correct form of liturgical torches are non-freestanding (i.e. cannot stand up on their own). However, today, even in the Vatican, freestanding, tall candles in ornate candle-stick holders have replaced the former type. The torches are carried by torchbearers, who enter at the Sanctus and leave after Communion.

Anglicans of the High Church and some Lutherans use torches in some of their liturgical celebrations as well.

Idiom: carry a torch

"Carry a torch" may derive from the Greek wedding torch tradition.

The idiom to carry a torch (for someone) means to love or to be romantically infatuated with someone, especially when such feelings are not reciprocated. It is often used to characterize a situation in which a romantic relationship has ended, but where one partner still loves the other. It is considered by some to be dated,[1] but still in wide usage.

Etymology

The association of a torch with love may date to the Greek and Roman tradition of a wedding torch,[2] lit in the bride’s hearth on her wedding night, then used to light the hearth in her new home. Such a torch is associated with the Greek god of marriage Hymen.

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Misspellings:

torch

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Common misspelling(s) of torch

  • tourch

Translations:

Torch

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - fakkel, lommelygte, stavlygte
v. tr. - antænde

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    have ulykkelig kærlighed til
  • carry the torch of    have ulykkelig kærlighed til
  • put to the torch    brænde ned
  • torch singer    schlager-sanger
  • torch song    sentimental schlager

Nederlands (Dutch)
zaklantaarn, fakkel

Français (French)
n. - flambeau, torche, (GB) torche/lampe (électrique), lampe de poche
v. tr. - mettre le feu à

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    avoir un faible pour
  • carry the torch of    embrasser/épouser une cause
  • put a torch to    incendier
  • put to the torch    incendier
  • torch singer    chanteur de chansons d'amour tristes
  • torch song    chanson d'amour triste

Deutsch (German)
n. - Taschenlampe, Fackel, Schweißbrenner, (Slang) Brandstifter
v. - in Brand stecken

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    jmdn. verehren
  • carry the torch of    sich bemühen, daß etwas nicht in Vergessenheit gerät
  • put a torch to    [ver]brennen, durch Feuer od. Hitze zerstören
  • put to the torch    niederbrennen
  • torch singer    Sängerr sentimentaler Liebeslieder
  • torch song    sentimentales Lied von unerwiderter Liebe

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πυρσός, δάδα, δαυλός, (Βρετ.) κλεφτοφάναρο, φακός
v. - βάζω φωτιά, ανάβω, πυρπολώ

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    έχω σεβντά για
  • carry the torch of    ενστερνίζομαι με ενθουσιασμό
  • put to the torch    πυρπολώ, κατακαίω
  • torch singer    τραγουδιστής περιπαθών τραγουδιών
  • torch song    περιπαθές τραγούδι

Italiano (Italian)
torcia

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    essere innamorato di
  • carry the torch of    sostenere
  • put to the torch    mettere al rogo
  • torch song    canzone d'amore

Português (Portuguese)
n. - archote (m), lâmpada (f), maçarico (m), tocha (f)
v. - incendiar

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    ser apaixonado por, ser gamado por
  • carry the torch of    ser ativo em uma causa
  • put to the torch    testar
  • torch singer    que canta canções sentimentais e de amor
  • torch song    canções de amor

Русский (Russian)
факел, светильник, фонарик, сигнальный огонь, светоч (прогресса, знаний, веры и т.п.), поджигать

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    безответная любовь
  • carry the torch of    вести кампанию/пропаганду за кого/что-л.
  • put to the torch    сжечь, поджечь, испепелить
  • torch singer    (амер.) исполнительница сентиментальных романсов
  • torch song    сентиментальный романс

Español (Spanish)
n. - linterna, antorcha, hacha, tea
v. tr. - encender fuego

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    estar enamorado de alguien
  • carry the torch of    portar la antorcha de un (movimiento, ideología)
  • put a torch to    prenderle fuego a algo, destruir con fuego
  • put to the torch    prenderle fuego a algo
  • torch singer    cantante de melodías
  • torch song    canción sentimental

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - bloss, fackla, ficklampa, pistol (sl.), pyroman (sl.)
v. - elda, tända, sätta eld på

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
火炬, 火把, 喷灯, 吹管, 手电筒, 光, 光芒, 用火炬点燃

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    爱上, 对...单恋, 为...奋战, 为...奋斗
  • carry the torch of    爱上, 单恋, 奋战, 奋斗
  • put to the torch    把...付之一炬
  • torch singer    擅唱感伤歌曲的女歌星
  • torch song    感伤恋歌

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 火炬, 火把, 噴燈, 吹管, 手電筒, 光, 光芒
v. tr. - 用火炬點燃

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    愛上, 對...單戀, 為...奮戰, 為...奮鬥
  • carry the torch of    愛上, 單戀, 奮戰, 奮鬥
  • put to the torch    把...付之一炬
  • torch singer    擅唱感傷歌曲的女歌星
  • torch song    感傷戀歌

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 횃불, 지식의 등불, 회중 전등
v. tr. - ~로 태우다, 방화하다

idioms:

  • carry a torch for    ~에게 푹 빠져 있다, 충성을 다하다
  • carry the torch of    ~을 지지하다
  • put to the torch    불태워 없애 버리다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 懐中電灯, たいまつ, トーチランプ, 光

idioms:

  • put to the torch    完璧にある物を破壊する
  • torch singer    トーチソング歌手
  • torch song    トーチソング

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ترسل نورا كشافا, بطاريه صغيرة, مشعل (فعل) يشعل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮לפיד, אבוקה, מבער, פנס-יד‬
v. tr. - ‮הדליק בלפיד‬


 
 
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