torch

noun / verb

Meaning

nounA stick of wood or plant fibres twisted together, with one end soaked in a flammable substance such as resin or tallow and set on fire, which is held in the hand, put into a wall bracket, or stuck into the ground, and used chiefly as a light source.
Example: The mob of angry villagers carried torches and pitchforks to the vampire’s castle.
verbTo illuminate or provide (a place) with torches (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1). To intentionally destroy (something) by setting it on fire, especially when committing arson in furtherance of some other criminal act (e.g. insurance fraud or the destruction of evidence).
Example: Some hoodlums had torched a derelict automobile, which emitted a ghastly pall of thick, black smoke that filled the street.
verbTo point (“fill up and bring to a smooth finish”) (inside joints of slates laid on laths) using lime hair mortar.

Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

How common: Very common; #848 of 8,600 five-letter words by how often they're used; Can be a Play Five answer
As a first guess: Tests likely letters better than 64% of common five-letter words.; Vowels: 1 · Different letters: 5 · Repeated letters: None