blanch
1[ blanch, blahnch ]
/ blæntʃ, blɑntʃ /
verb (used with object)
to whiten by removing color; bleach: Workers were blanching linen in the sun.
Cookery.
- 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.
- to scald or parboil (meat or vegetables) so as to whiten, remove the odor, prepare for cooking by other means, etc.
Horticulture. (of the stems or leaves of plants, as celery or lettuce) to whiten or prevent from becoming green by excluding light.
Metallurgy.
- to give a white luster to (metals), as by means of acids.
- to coat (sheet metal) with tin.
to make pale, as with sickness or fear: The long illness had blanched her cheeks of their natural color.
verb (used without object)
to become white; turn pale: The very thought of going made him blanch.
Nearby words
blanc, blanc de blancs, blanc fixe, blanc, mont, blanca peak, blanch, blanche, blanche of castile, blanchett, blancmange, blanco
Origin of blanch
11300–50; Middle English bla(u)nchen < Anglo-French, Middle French blanchir to whiten, derivative of blanc, blanche white; see blank
Related formsblanch·er, noun
Definition for blanch (2 of 2)
blanch
2[ blanch, blahnch ]
/ blæntʃ, blɑntʃ /
verb (used with object)
to force back or to one side; head off, as a deer or other quarry.
Origin of blanch
2First recorded in 1565–75; variant of blench1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for blanch
British Dictionary definitions for blanch
blanch
/ (blɑːntʃ) /
verb (mainly tr)
Word Origin for blanch
C14: from Old French blanchir from blanc white; see blank
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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