noli me tangere

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• Received-Pronunciation: /ˌnəʊlɪ mɪ ˈtæn(d)ʒəɹi/
  Play
• Received-Pronunciation: /-meɪ ˈtæn(d)ʒəɹeɪ/
  Play
• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• /ˌnoʊli ˌmi ˈtɑnd͡ʒəɹi/
  Play
• /-ˌmeɪ ˈtɑnd͡ʒəɹeɪ/
  Play

PIE word *né PIE word *éǵh2 From Middle English noli me tangere, noly me tangere (“skin disease of the face; bad-tempered person who should be avoided; personification of wrath”), a learned borrowing from Late Latin nōlī mē tangere (literally “do not touch me”), from Latin nōlī (“do not”) + mē (“me, myself”) + tangere (the present active infinitive of tangō (“to grasp; to touch”)). The phrase is recorded in John 20:17 of the Vulgate, a 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible, as having been spoken to Mary Magdalene by Jesus shortly after his resurrection outside his tomb. The original phrase was the Koine Greek μή μου ἅπτου (mḗ mou háptou, “stop clinging to me”). Senses 2–5 refer to the literal meaning of the phrase. For example, in the case of sense 4 (“any of various plants with fruits or seed capsules that, when ripe, burst open and discharge their seeds when touched, or with leaves that fold and droop when touched”), the name alludes to the assumption that the plants do not wish to be touched, and react by exploding their fruits or closing their leaves if this happens.

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: noli me tangere-maalaus — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• French: noli me tangere — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• Greek: μη μου άπτου (mi mou áptou) — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• Hebrew: אַל תִּגְעִי בִי (al tig'i bi) — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• Japanese: ノリ・メ・タンゲレ — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• Russian: не прикасайся ко мне (ne prikasajsja ko mne) — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• Thai: อย่าหน่วงเหนี่ยวเราไว้ — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• Ukrainian: не торкайся мене (ne torkajsja mene) — picture depicting Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene shortly after his resurrection from the dead
• Finnish: varoitus pysyä loitolla — warning to avoid or not to interfere
• Finnish: asia josta pysyä loitolla — someone or something to be avoided or not interfered with
• Finnish: henkilö josta pysyä loitolla — someone or something to be avoided or not interfered with
• Greek: μη μου άπτου (mi mou áptou) — someone or something to be avoided or not interfered with
• Finnish: kosketusherkkä kasvi — any of various plants with fruits or seed capsules that, when ripe, burst open and discharge their seeds when touched, or with leaves that fold and droop when touched
• French: noli me tangere — any of various plants with fruits or seed capsules that, when ripe, burst open and discharge their seeds when touched, or with leaves that fold and droop when touched
• Finnish: häpykannus — plant of the genus Impatiens — see also impatiens
• Finnish: kannuspalsami — plant of the genus Impatiens — see also impatiens
• Finnish: palsami — plant of the genus Impatiens — see also impatiens
• French: noli me tangere — plant of the genus Impatiens — see also impatiens
• Ingrian: talvirooza — plant of the genus Impatiens — see also impatiens