tango, tĕtĭgi, tactum, 3 (old collat. form tago, xi, 3: tagit Pacuvius in Teucro: ut ego, si quisquam me tagit. Et tagam idem in Hermiona: aut non cernam, nisi tagam: sine dubio antiquā consuetudine usurpavit. Nam nunc ea sine praepositionibus non dicuntur, ut contigit, attigit, Fest. p. 356 Müll.: PELLEX ARAM IVNONIS NE TANGITO, Lex Numae ap. Fest. p. 222 ib.: sed o Petruelle, ne meum taxis librum, Varr. ap. Non. 176, 18, and 180, 8), v. a. [root tag-; Gr. τε-ταγ-ών, grasping; τῆ, take; Lat. tago, tagax; Goth. tēkan, to touch; Engl. take; cf.: inter, contages], to touch (syn. tracto).
I Lit.
A In gen.: tangere enim et tangi, nisi corpus, nulla potest res, Lucr. 1, 304: tange utramvis digitulo minimo modo, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 15: genu terram tangere, Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 57: virgā Virginis os, Ov. M. 11, 308: aliquem cubito, Hor. S. 2, 5, 42.—
B In partic.
1 To touch , i. e.,
a To take , take away , carry off: Sa. Tetigin' tui quidquam? Aes. Si attigisses, ferres infortunium, Ter. Ad. 178: de praedā meā teruncium nec attigit nec tacturus est quisquam, Cic. Fam. 2, 17, 4: quia tangam nullum ab invito, id. Agr. 2, 25, 67; Liv. 29, 20. —
b To taste , to eat , to drink : salsa sunt, tangere ut non velis, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 35: illa (corpora) Non cani tetigere lupi, Ov. M. 7, 550: saporem, id. F. 3, 745: cupiens variā fastidia cenā Vincere tangentis male singula dente superbo, Hor. S. 2, 6, 87: Superorum tangere mensas, Ov. M. 6, 173: tetigit calicem clanculum, has emptied , Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 10. —
2 Of places.
a To reach , arrive at , come to a place (syn. pervenio): Verres simul ac tetigit provinciam, statim, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 10, § 27; cf. id. Att. 6, 1, 6: portus, Verg. A. 4, 612: terminum mundi armis, Hor. C. 3, 3, 54: vada, id. ib. 1, 3, 24: lucum gradu, Ov. M. 3, 36: domos, id. ib. 4, 779; 6, 601: quem (Nilum) simul ac tetigit, id. ib. 1, 729: ut tellus est mihi tacta, id. Tr. 3, 2, 18: limina, id. M. 10, 456; Juv. 14, 44: nocturno castra dolo, Ov. H. 1, 42 et saep.—
b To border on , be contiguous to : qui (fundi) Tiberim fere omnes tangunt, Cic. Rosc. Am. 7, 20: haec civitas Rhenum tangit, Caes. B. G. 5, 3: quae (villa) viam tangeret, Cic. Mil. 19, 51: vertice sidera, Ov. M. 7, 61. —
3 To touch , i. e.,
a To strike , hit , beat (mostly poet.): chordas, Ov. R. Am. 336: flagello Chloen, Hor. C. 3, 26, 12: quem tetigit jactu, Prop. 2, 34 (3, 32), 60: loca tangere fundā, Tib. 3, 7, 97: te hora Caniculae Nescit tangere, to touch , affect , Hor. C. 3, 13, 10.—Euphem., to put to death : quemquam praeterea oportuisse tangi, Cic. Att. 15, 11, 2: statua aut aera legum de caelo tacta, i.e. struck by lightning , id. Div. 2, 21, 47; so, de caelo tactus, Liv. 25, 7, 7; Liv. 29, 14, 3; Verg. E. 1, 17: e caelo tactum, Plin. 36, 4, 4, § 10; cf.: ulmus fulmine tacta, Ov. Tr. 2, 144: tacta aedes Junonis, Plin. 2, 54, 55, § 144.—Prov.: tetigisti acu (rem), you have hit the nail on the head , Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 19; cf.: tangis en ipsos metus, the thing you fear , Sen. Oedip. 795.—
b To take hold of , to touch , handle , etc.; esp. in mal. part.: virginem, Ter. Ad. 686: cur id ausus's facere ut id quod non tuom esset tangeres? Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 14; Ter. Heaut. 819; id. Eun. 797 sq.; Cat. 21, 8; Hor. S. 1, 2, 28; 1, 2, 54.— Absol. : cibum una capias, assis, tangas, ludas, propter dormias, Ter. Eun. 372 (82): si non tangendi copia'st, id. ib. 638; id. Phorm. 994.—
4 To besprinkle , moisten , wash , smear , anoint (poet. and in post-Aug. prose; syn. tingo): corpus aquā, Ov. F. 4, 790: comas tristi medicamine, id. M. 6, 140: oculos olivo, Pers. 3, 44: superiorem palpebram salivā, Plin. 28, 4, 7, § 38: caput igne sulfuris, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 86; cf.: voluit tangi lucerna mero, id. 4 (5), 3, 60: luto corpora tangit amor, Tib. 1, 8, 52.—
5 To color , dye : supercilium madidā fuligine, Juv. 2, 93. —
II Trop.
A Of the mind or feelings, to touch , move , affect , impress : minae Clodii contentionesque modice me tangunt, Cic. Att. 2, 19, 1: si vos urbis, si vestri nulla cura tangit, Liv. 3, 17, 3: Numitori tetigerat animum memoria nepotum, id. 1, 5: mentem mortalia tangunt, Verg. A. 1, 462: si curat cor spectantis tetigisse querela, Hor. A. P. 98: nec formā tangor, poteram tamen hac quoque tangi, Ov. M. 10, 614: vota tamen tetigere deos, tetigere parentes, id. ib. 4, 164: nymphas tetigit nova res, id. ib. 15, 552: nec amor nos tangit habendi, id. A. A. 3, 541: exemplo tangi, id. H. 15 (16), 326; id. F. 5, 489; Prop. 1, 9, 17: religione tactus hospes, Liv. 1, 45, 7: tetigerat animum memoria nepotum, id. 1, 5, 6: si quem gloria tangit, Sen. Hippol. 27.—
B Qs. to prick or stick one, i. e.,
1 To take in , trick , dupe; to cozen or cheat out of any thing (anteclass.): tuom tangam patrem, Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 118; cf.: probe tactus Ballio est, id. ib. 5, 2, 13: tangere hominem volt bolo, id. Poen. prol. 101: istis adeo te tetigi triginta minis, id. Ep. 5, 2, 40: senem triginta minis, Poët. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 64, 257: lenunculum aere militari, Plaut. Poen. 5, 5, 7: patrem talento argenti, Turp. ap. Non. 408, 28: tactus sum vehementer visco, I am limed , caught , Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 39: volucres harundinibus, Petr. 109.—
2 To sting or nettle any one by something said: quo pacto Rhodium tetigerim in convivio, Ter. Eun. 420; cf. maledictis, Fest. p. 356 Müll.—
C Of speech, to touch upon , mention , speak of , refer to , cite : non tango, quod avarus homo est, quodque improbu' mitto, Lucil. ap. Rufin. Schem. Lex. § 12 (p. 274 Frotsch.): leviter unum quodque tangam, Cic. Rosc. Am. 30, 83: ubi Aristoteles ista tetigit? id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 44, 136: illud tertium, quod a Crasso tactum est, id. de Or. 2, 10, 43: ne tangantur rationes ad Opis, be discussed , examined , Anton. ap. Cic. Phil. 8, 9, 26: si tacta loquar, Manil. 3, 21; cf.: quid minus utibile fuit quam hoc ulcus tangere Aut nominare uxorem? Ter. Phorm. 690.—
D To take in hand , undertake (rare): carmina, Ov. Am. 3, 12, 17: quis te Carminis heroi tangere jussit opus? prop. 4, 2 (3, 3), 16.