touchstone
a quality standard
TRANSLATION
touchstone = der Maßstab, der Probierstein, der Prüfstein --- GOOGLE INDEX touchstone: approximately 6,500,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
One of my father's most profound insights was a unified theory of peace ... He believed that the most powerful method for achieving both peace and social justice was nonviolence, and this remains the TOUCHSTONE of my commitment to his legacy...
(Martin Luther King III, son of Martin Luther King Jr.)
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The Ithembalabantu Clinic (Zulu for People's Hope) in Durban, South Africa, now serves more than 3,500 patients and has become a TOUCHSTONE and model as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has expanded its reach to other nations in need.
(USA Today Magazine)
(Martin Luther King III, son of Martin Luther King Jr.)
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The Ithembalabantu Clinic (Zulu for People's Hope) in Durban, South Africa, now serves more than 3,500 patients and has become a TOUCHSTONE and model as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has expanded its reach to other nations in need.
(USA Today Magazine)
Did you
know?
touchstone
noun
1. A hard black stone, such as jasper or basalt, formerly used to test the quality of gold or silver by comparing the streak left on the stone by one of these metals with that of a standard alloy.
2. An excellent quality or example that is used to test the excellence or genuineness of others.
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.)
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WORD ORIGIN
The touchstone revolutionized the concept of money. Its use in Ancient Greece and Anatolia dates to around 500 BC. The fourth century philosopher Theophrastus described the testing of gold by fire or by the touchstone.
Gold and silver were once common currencies, but could easily be alloyed with less expensive metals such as tin or lead. Prior to the introduction of the touchstone, there was no effective way to test if they were genuine.
The invention of the touchstone made it possible to quickly and efficiently test their purity, as well as to determine the relative value of different alloys. That paved the way for gold and silver to become standard equivalents of value and eventually to government-issued currency.
The metaphorical use of touchstone, meaning any physical or intellectual measure by which the validity or quality of a concept can be tested, has been around since the 13th century.
(adapted from Wikipedia, the Online Etymology Dictionary and other sources)
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SYNONYMS
benchmark, criterion, gauge, goal, measure, standard, yardstick
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IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
“Our new facility in Dresden will be a touchstone for future production lines.”
noun
1. A hard black stone, such as jasper or basalt, formerly used to test the quality of gold or silver by comparing the streak left on the stone by one of these metals with that of a standard alloy.
2. An excellent quality or example that is used to test the excellence or genuineness of others.
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.)
---
WORD ORIGIN
The touchstone revolutionized the concept of money. Its use in Ancient Greece and Anatolia dates to around 500 BC. The fourth century philosopher Theophrastus described the testing of gold by fire or by the touchstone.
Gold and silver were once common currencies, but could easily be alloyed with less expensive metals such as tin or lead. Prior to the introduction of the touchstone, there was no effective way to test if they were genuine.
The invention of the touchstone made it possible to quickly and efficiently test their purity, as well as to determine the relative value of different alloys. That paved the way for gold and silver to become standard equivalents of value and eventually to government-issued currency.
The metaphorical use of touchstone, meaning any physical or intellectual measure by which the validity or quality of a concept can be tested, has been around since the 13th century.
(adapted from Wikipedia, the Online Etymology Dictionary and other sources)
---
SYNONYMS
benchmark, criterion, gauge, goal, measure, standard, yardstick
---
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
“Our new facility in Dresden will be a touchstone for future production lines.”
