Etymology

lay a finger on

Today it means: To merely touch. Full definition →

Middle English fynger on
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromfynger on“touch (someone) with hostile intent”
  2. English todaylay a finger on

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.