blanched

[ blancht ]

adjective

1. made white; whitened or bleached:

   The threads used for the lace were once made of hemp, but are now of raw or blanched linen.

   The museum’s blanched interior is penetrated at the core by a large black staircase linking the lobby to the main gallery.

2. Cooking. scalded or parboiled briefly and then drained, as to facilitate removal of skins, get rid of odor or bitterness, shorten cooking by other means, etc.:

   I use blanched almonds, as they already have the papery, slightly bitter skins removed.

   Stir in the blanched cauliflower and frozen peas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes longer.

3. made pale, as by sickness or fear:

   His trembling hands and the look on his blanched face suggested he’d been hurt or badly scared.

4. Horticulture. (of the stems or leaves of plants, as celery or leeks) whitened or prevented from becoming green by excluding light:

   Dense sowing and immature harvesting yield tall seedlings with tender, blanched stems and bright, well-developed leaves.

5. Metallurgy.
   1. (of metals) given a white luster, as by means of acids:

      Platinum has an appearance similar to blanched gold.

   2. (of sheet metal) coated with tin:

      Scowling, he watched the fly as it sat brazenly on the rim of his blanched metal camp mug.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of blanch ¹.

Other Words From

• un·blanched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of blanched¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; blanch ¹( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; blanch ¹( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

He blanched when it came time to plunge, invest the money, press, and distribute.

From The Daily Beast

But conservative Democratic senators still blanched and the White House did not push the matter.

From The Daily Beast

About half an hour after I joined the line, my friend Laura Ingraham arrived with her producer—surveyed the line—and blanched.

From The Daily Beast

On the other side of the Capitol, senators blanched at the idea of the massive spending bill headed their way.

From The Daily Beast

Ronstadt was one of several Arizonans who blanched at the gloomy face the governor had drawn on the state.

From The Daily Beast

The Seneschal stood with blanched face and gaping mouth, his fire all turned to ashes before the passion of this gaunt man.

From Project Gutenberg

He stepped hastily back, his cheeks, before so fresh and ruddy, were now blanched with a deadly pallor.

From Project Gutenberg

Sickness had never blanched the warm glow on her cheeks, or dimmed the brightness of her large, lustrous eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

In silence my uncle took one and came towards me, the servants with scared, blanched countenances following.

From Project Gutenberg

Then Georgie took the blanched hand of the motherless girl, and entreated her.

From Project Gutenberg