touchdown

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtʌtʃ.daʊn/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from the verb phrase touch down, attested in sport by 1859,^[2] from touch and down.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In rugby, the act of placing the ball on the ground behind the goal line to score: 1864.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Touch as the act of touching the ground with the ball behind the goal is attested by 1857.^[2] In American football the touchdown became the main scoring play, worth six points.^[4] The landing of an aircraft, or later a spacecraft, is a touchdown by 1935.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1859 – to touch down (sport).^[2]
• 1864 – a touchdown (rugby).^[2][3]
• 1935 – an aircraft's landing.^[2][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (American football) A score of six points made by carrying or catching the ball over the opponent's goal line.
2. (rugby) The act of grounding the ball behind the goal line.
3. The moment when an aircraft or spacecraft lands.

Related words

• touch
• down
• touchline

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin