Intangible
/ɪnˈtæn.dʒə.bəl/noun
Not able to be touched or physically grasped; difficult to define or measure.
Did you know?“Intangible” comes from Latin tangere, “to touch,” the same ancient root behind words like tangent and tact—so even the most abstract things in English are haunted by the language of contact.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
tangere
“to touch”
Late Latin
Latin
intangibilis
“not able to be touched”
Old French
Old French
intangible
“untouchable”
14th Century
English
intangible
“not capable of being touched or grasped”
Modern English
English
intangible
“not physically perceptible; abstract or difficult to measure”