blanch

¹

[ blanch, blahnch ]

verb (used with object)

1. to whiten by removing color; bleach:

   Workers were blanching linen in the sun.

2. Cooking.
   1. to scald briefly and then drain, as peaches or almonds to facilitate removal of skins, or as rice or macaroni to separate the grains or strands.
   2. to scald or parboil (meat or vegetables) so as to whiten, remove the odor, prepare for cooking by other means, etc.
3. Horticulture. (of the stems or leaves of plants, as celery or leeks) to whiten or prevent from becoming green by excluding light.
4. Metallurgy.
   1. to give a white luster to (metals), as by means of acids.
   2. to coat (sheet metal) with tin.
5. to make pale, as with sickness or fear:

   The long illness had blanched her cheeks of their natural color.

verb (used without object)

1. to become white; turn pale:

   The very thought of going made him blanch.

blanch

²

[ blanch, blahnch ]

verb (used with object)

1. to force back or to one side; head off, as a deer or other quarry.

blanch

/ blɑːntʃ /

verb

1. also intr to remove colour from, or (of colour) to be removed; whiten; fade

   over the years the painting blanched

   the sun blanched the carpet

2. usually intr to become or cause to become pale, as with sickness or fear
3. to plunge tomatoes, nuts, etc, into boiling water to loosen the skin
4. to plunge (meat, green vegetables, etc) in boiling water or bring to the boil in water in order to whiten, preserve the natural colour, or reduce or remove a bitter or salty taste
5. to cause (celery, chicory, etc) to grow free of chlorophyll by the exclusion of sunlight
6. metallurgy to whiten (a metal), usually by treating it with an acid or by coating it with tin
7. tr,usually foll byover to attempt to conceal something

Other Words From

• blanch·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of blanch¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bla(u)nchen, from Anglo-French, Middle French blanchir “to whiten,” derivative of blanc, blanche “white”; blank

Origin of blanch²

First recorded in 1565–75; variant of blench ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of blanch¹

C14: from Old French blanchir from blanc white; see blank

Synonym Study

See whiten.

Example Sentences

Most Republicans blanch instinctively at the political rhetoric of “the new Cleveland.”

From The Daily Beast

True, many Brazilians—and not a few of his fellow city councilors—blanch at Apolinário's fevered views.

From The Daily Beast

His more polemical books, such as Black Mass and Straw Dogs, often posit a worldview bleak enough to make Beckett blanch.

From The Daily Beast

Blanch squash for about one minute, drain and cool with cold water.

From The Daily Beast

Blanch the spinach and parsley in boiling salted water until completely tender and then cool in ice water.

From The Daily Beast

A cry, which heard, even at noon day, seldom fails to blanch the manliest cheek.

From Project Gutenberg

Strong in lowliness, they neither blanch in heat nor pine in frost.

From Project Gutenberg

"Yep, he air dead," fell from Tessibel; for she had seen the large, glazed eyes draw in at the corners and the little face blanch.

From Project Gutenberg

And then his steady successes were offset by a disaster that caused even his face to blanch.

From Project Gutenberg

Pare fruit if desired or blanch or scald in boiling water a small quantity of fruit at a time.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• flinch
• recoil
• wince