'touchdown' originates from the combination of 'touch' and 'down', where 'touch' meant 'to come into contact with' and 'down' referred to 'the ground or surface'.

'touchdown' evolved from the early 20th-century sports terminology, initially used in rugby and later adopted by American football.

Initially, it meant 'to touch the ground with the ball', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'scoring in American football' and 'landing of aircraft'.