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blanch
1[ blanch, blahnch ]
/ blæntʃ, blɑntʃ /
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verb (used with object)
to whiten by removing color; bleach: Workers were blanching linen in the sun.
Cooking.
- 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.
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Origin of blanch
1First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bla(u)nchen, from Anglo-French, Middle French blanchir “to whiten,” derivative of blanc, blanche “white”; see blank
synonym study for blanch
1. See whiten.
OTHER WORDS FROM blanch
blancher, nounWords nearby blanch
blameworthy, blanc, Blanca Peak, blanc de blancs, blanc fixe, blanch, Blanche, Blanche of Castile, Blanchett, blancmange, Blanco
Other definitions for blanch (2 of 2)
blanch2
[ 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. 2022
How to use blanch in a sentence
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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