torch
A stick of wood or plant fibres twisted together, with one end soaked in a flammable substance such as resin or tallow and set on fire, which is held in the hand, put into a wall bracket, or stuck into the ground, and used chiefly as a light source.
Example
“The mob of angry villagers carried torches and pitchforks to the vampire’s castle.”
Other meanings
A similarly shaped implement with a replaceable supply of flammable material; specifically, a pole with a lamp at one end.
A flower which is red or red-orange in colour like a flame.
A kind of
- light
Word history
From Latin "torqua".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “torch” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.