# lay a finger on

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To merely touch.
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lay, a, finger, on: to finger

## Etymology
From Middle English fynger on (hem) to leyn (“touch (someone) with hostile intent”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lay-a-finger-on