blanch

[ blanch, blahnch ]

/ blæntʃ, blɑntʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR blanch ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Words nearby blanch

blameworthy, blanc, blanc de blancs, blanc fixe, blanca peak, blanch, blanche, blanche of castile, blanchett, blancmange, blanco

Origin of blanch

1300–50; Middle English bla(u)nchen < Anglo-French, Middle French blanchir to whiten, derivative of blanc, blanche white; see blank

SYNONYMS FOR blanch

1 See whiten.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR blanch ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM blanch

blanch·er, noun

Definition 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

First 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

Most Republicans blanch instinctively at the political rhetoric of “the new Cleveland.”
The GOP Flees to the Cleve|James Poulos|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Blanch squash for about one minute, drain and cool with cold water.
5 Healthy Spa Meals|Ratha Tep|January 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Blanch the spinach and parsley in boiling salted water until completely tender and then cool in ice water.
Fresh Picks|Markus Glocker|July 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Even some progressives might blanch at the idea that we ourselves might run the banks.
Limits of a First Term|Thomas Geoghegan|October 24, 2008|DAILY BEAST

And then was seen a sight to set red war atremble with affright, and blanch the lurid sun to sickly pallor.
Descriptive Analyses of Piano Works|Edward Baxter Perry
Blanch has a good Understanding, but does not know the World, and is commonly choused by her Neighbours.
The True Life of Betty Ireland|Anonymous
Blanch a quarter of an ounce of bitter almonds, and beat them with a tea-spoonful of water in a marble mortar.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton
Take the small sort of almonds; steep them in cold water till they will blanch, and as you blanch them throw them into water.
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;|Charlotte Campbell Bury
Blanch the almonds, pound them in a mortar to a paste with a little rose-water.
The National Cook Book, 9th ed.|Hannah Mary Peterson

British Dictionary definitions for blanch

blanch

/ (blɑːntʃ) /

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to remove colour from, or (of colour) to be removed; whiten; fadethe sun blanched the carpet; over the years the painting blanched

(usually intr) to become or cause to become pale, as with sickness or fear

to plunge tomatoes, nuts, etc, into boiling water to loosen the skin

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

to cause (celery, chicory, etc) to grow free of chlorophyll by the exclusion of sunlight

metallurgy to whiten (a metal), usually by treating it with an acid or by coating it with tin

(tr, usually foll by over) to attempt to conceal something

Word Origin for blanch

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

blanch

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Words related to blanch

Words nearby blanch

Origin of blanch

SYNONYMS FOR blanch

OTHER WORDS FROM blanch

Definition for blanch (2 of 2)

verb (used with object)

Origin of blanch

Examples from the Web for blanch

British Dictionary definitions for blanch

verb (mainly tr)

Word Origin for blanch