means A torch is a portable light source — historically a stick of burning material carried by hand, and in British usage a battery-powered flashlight.

from From Old French 'torche,' meaning a twist of straw or other material — itself from Latin 'torqua' / 'torquere,' to twist or wind. The link is literal: early torches were lengths of fibrous stuff twisted together, soaked in pitch or wax, and set alight. So the word's deepest root isn't fire at all but the twisting of the wick — a cousin of 'torque,' 'torment,' and 'contort,' all sharing that sense of wringing and twisting.