blanched

American  

[blancht] / blæntʃt /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unblanched adjective

Etymology

Origin of blanched

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

To prepare the samples, potatoes were rinsed, peeled, cut into strips, blanched, and salted.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026

I attended a gathering of diplomats, journalists and scholars, and they had blanched faces as they discussed what it means.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

But then Ms. Mollenkott, who had been living as a closeted lesbian, shared her secret with Ms. Scanzoni and watched with horror as her writing partner blanched with shock.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2024

When the mural was installed in April, fair officials blanched.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2023

He was a big, swaggering man with a thunderous voice, but he blanched before the new arrivals, at a loss for words.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor