This verb means to touch, handle, or take hold of something or someone. It appears in three significant prohibition contexts. Colossians 2:21 quotes false teachers' rules: 'Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch.' Hebrews 11:28 describes how the Passover protected Israel so the destroyer 'would not touch' the firstborn. Hebrews 12:20 recalls the Sinai theophany where even an animal touching the mountain must die. Classical usage extends from simple touching to grasping, embracing, and euphemistically to sexual contact. The New Testament uses focus on prohibited or dangerous contact—whether legalistic taboos, divine judgment, or holy boundaries.