touchstone

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈtʌˌtʃstoʊn/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A hard black stone, such as jasper or basalt, formerly used to test the purity of gold or silver by comparing the streak left on the stone by the metal with that of a standard alloy.; A standard or criterion by which the quality, genuineness, or value of something is judged or tested.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: touchstones

Collocations

serve as a touchstonetouchstone fortouchstone of qualitybecome a touchstoneuse as a touchstone

Synonyms

benchmarkcriterionstandardyardsticklitmus testgaugemeasure

Commonly confused

benchmark
EN: 'Benchmark' often implies a quantitative or measurable standard, while 'touchstone' suggests a more qualitative or enduring criterion of excellence.
litmus test
EN: 'Litmus test' implies a binary pass/fail determination, while 'touchstone' is a broader standard against which quality or genuineness is measured.

Spelling tips

EN: Written as one word ('touchstone'), not two words ('touch stone') or hyphenated ('touch-stone'). Originally referred to a dark stone used to test the purity of gold.

💬 Examples

  1. The goldsmith rubbed the ring against the touchstone to verify its purity.

  2. Shakespeare's works remain a touchstone of literary excellence.