touchstones
Tests for authenticity
Touchstones are standards by which things are judged or evaluated.
The original touchstone was a dark stone used to test gold and silver—rubbing the metal against it revealed its purity by the color of the streak.
The figurative sense dominates: Her first novel remains the touchstone for the genre.
A touchstone is something you measure other things against.
Standard for comparison
- yardstickThirty-six-inch ruler
- criterionStandard for judgment
- measureUnit of quantity
- baselineStandard for comparison
reference point · gauge · barometer · litmus test · gold standard · norm · parameter · metric
Proving something accurate
- proofDemonstration of truth
- testEvaluative examination
- assayCompositional evaluation procedure
- validationConfirming truth or accuracy
genuineness · purity · hallmark · certification · appraisal · examination · inspection · assessment
Notable point of reference
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
- breakthroughSudden important advance
- achievementAccomplished goal or deed
cornerstone · highpoint · pinnacle · capstone · culmination · epoch · juncture · threshold
benchmark
Standard for comparison
baseline · reference point · gauge · barometer · litmus test · gold standard · norm · parameter · metric · index
verification
Proving something accurate
validation · genuineness · purity · hallmark · certification · appraisal · examination · inspection · assessment · quality control
landmark
Notable point of reference
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
- breakthroughSudden important advance
achievement · cornerstone · highpoint · pinnacle · capstone · culmination · epoch · juncture · threshold · marker
basalt
Fine-grained volcanic stone
streak · hardness · mineral · assaying · ore · prospecting · geology
- cultural conceptstrends, movements, icons, fads, phenomena
- early bankingmoney changers, moneylenders, moneylending, money lending, loans
- sacred stonesmegaliths, dolmens, menhirs, lingam, Stonehenge
touchstonesapproximations
Near but inexact values
guesswork · ballpark figures · educated guesses · rules of thumb
- cultural touchstoneUniversally recognized cultural marker