untouchable

adjective

1. that may not be touched; of a nature such that it cannot be touched; not palpable; intangible.
2. too distant to be touched.
3. vile or loathsome to the touch.
4. beyond criticism, control, or suspicion: Modern writers consider no subject untouchable.

noun

5. Hinduism. the former name given to a member of a lower caste in India whose touch was believed to defile a high-caste Hindu; Harijan.Compare scheduled caste.
6. a person who is beyond reproach as to honesty, diligence, etc.
7. a person disregarded or shunned by society or a particular group; social outcast: political untouchables.
8. a person or thing considered inviolable or beyond criticism: such untouchables as Social Security in the federal budget.

adjective

1. lying beyond reach
2. above reproach, suspicion, or impeachment
3. unable to be touched

noun

4. taboo a former name for Dalit

adj.1560s, “immaterial,” from un- (1) “not” + touchable (see touch (v.)). Meaning “that legally cannot be interfered with” is recorded from 1734. Meaning “too loathsome or defiling to be touched” is recorded from 1873. The noun, in reference to a hereditary low caste of India, is attested from 1909; the term and the restrictions were made illegal in India in 1947.