touchstone : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: touchstone	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for touchstone
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
touchstone n a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated; "the schools comply with federal standards"; "they set the measure for all subsequent work" Synonym(s): standard, criterion, measure, touchstone
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Touchstone \Touch"stone`\, n. 1. (Min.) Lydian stone; basanite; -- so called because used to test the purity of gold and silver by the streak which is left upon the stone when it is rubbed by the metal. See {Basanite}. 2. Fig.: Any test or criterion by which the qualities of a thing are tried. --Hooker. The foregoing doctrine affords us also a touchstone for the trial of spirits. --South. {Irish touchstone} (Min.), basalt, the stone which composes the Giant's Causeway.