The threat of being touched in an injurious way defines:

The definition of the threat of being touched in an injurious way aligns with the concept of assault. Assault is a legal term that describes an act whereby one person intentionally creates a fear of imminent harmful or offensive contact in another person. It is crucial to understand that assault does not require physical contact; the mere threat of injury is sufficient to constitute assault. This means that if someone causes another person to fear that they will be harmed, it can be classified as assault, even if no physical contact occurs.

In contrast, other legal concepts such as battery and negligence involve different criteria. Battery refers specifically to the actual physical contact, while negligence involves a failure to act with reasonable care, resulting in harm to another. Fraud pertains to deceptive practices meant to gain something of value, which is unrelated to the threats of physical harm. Thus, the understanding of assault encompasses the essence of threatening injury without the necessity of actual contact, making it the correct answer in this context.