Word of the Day

: September 4, 2008

haptic

adjective HAP-tik

What It Means

1 : relating to or based on the sense of touch

2 : characterized by a predilection for the sense of touch

haptic in Context

Katy could tell one kind of yarn from another purely by haptic clues.

Did You Know?

"Haptic" (from the Greek "haptesthai," meaning "to touch") entered English in the late 19th century as a medical synonym for "tactile." By the middle of the 20th century, it had developed a psychological sense, describing individuals whose perception supposedly depended primarily on touch rather than sight. Although almost no one today divides humans into "haptic" and "visual" personalities, English retains the broadened psychological sense of "haptic" as well as the older "tactile" sense.