Touchy
/ˈtʌtʃi/noun
Easily offended, irritable, or sensitive.
Did you know?“Touchy” is built from the ordinary act of touching, but in English it came to mean someone so sensitive that even a metaphorical touch can provoke a reaction.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tek-
“to touch, strike”
Old French
OF
tochier
“to touch, strike”
Middle English
ME
touchen
“to touch, come into contact with”
16th Century
English
touchy
“liable to be touched or affected; sensitive”
Modern English
English
touchy
“easily offended or irritable”