starch

[ stahrch ]

/ stɑrtʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR starch ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a white, tasteless, solid carbohydrate, (C6H10O5)n, occurring in the form of minute granules in the seeds, tubers, and other parts of plants, and forming an important constituent of rice, corn, wheat, beans, potatoes, and many other vegetable foods.

a commercial preparation of this substance used to stiffen textile fabrics in laundering.

starches, foods rich in natural starch.

stiffness or formality, as of manner: He is so full of starch he can't relax.

Informal. vigor; energy; stamina; boldness.

verb (used with object)

to stiffen or treat with starch.

to make stiff or rigidly formal (sometimes followed by up).

Words nearby starch

star-struck, star-studded, stara zagora, starboard, starburst, starch, starch blocker, starch syrup, starch-reduced, starchy, stardom

Origin of starch

1375–1425; (v.) late Middle English sterchen orig., to stiffen, Old English stercean to make stiff, strengthen, derivative of stearc stark; cognate with German stärken to strengthen; (noun) late Middle English starch(e), sterche, derivative of the v.

OTHER WORDS FROM starch

starch·less, adjectivestarch·like, adjectiveo·ver·starch, verb (used with object)o·ver·starched, adjective

un·starched, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for starch

Sugar and lots of starch will give you a boost followed by a crash that will end your late night partying.
Five Healthy—and Legal—Ways to Stay Awake Longer|Dave Asprey|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Making it with quinoa instead of rice gives you the wonderful taste and comfort of risotto without all that starch.
Three Quinoa Recipes for Your Weekend Parties|Jane Coxwell|May 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Tsai: The ratio of vegetables to meat to starch is much higher.
Five World-Famous Chefs Give Their Take on the Asian-Food Craze in America|Marlow Stern|April 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
How goodly and how to be wished were such an obedient unanimity as this, what a fine conformity would it starch us all into!
Areopagitica|John Milton

Sachs had shown that the starch passes down to other parts of the plant in solution as glucose.
Disease in Plants|H. Marshall Ward
It is reported that cloves have been adulterated with false cloves made from starch pressed into the form of cloves and roasted.
Birds and All Nature, Vol. V, No. 3, March 1899|Various
The presence of starch can be shown by testing with a solution of iodine.
Outlines of Lessons in Botany, Part I; From Seed to Leaf|Jane H. Newell
Add the starch to the strychnine solution and boil for a few minutes until the starch is clear.
Field Mice as Farm and Orchard Pests|D. Lantz

British Dictionary definitions for starch

starch

/ (stɑːtʃ) /

noun

a polysaccharide composed of glucose units that occurs widely in plant tissues in the form of storage granules, consisting of amylose and amylopectinRelated adjective: amylaceous

Also called: amylum a starch obtained from potatoes and some grain: it is fine white powder that forms a translucent viscous solution on boiling with water and is used to stiffen fabric and in many industrial processes

any food containing a large amount of starch, such as rice and potatoes

stiff or pompous formality of manner or conduct

verb

(tr) to stiffen with or soak in starch

adjective

(of a person) formal; stiff

Derived forms of starch

starcher, nounstarchlike, adjective

Word Origin for starch

Old English stercan (unattested except by the past participle sterced) to stiffen; related to Old Saxon sterkian, Old High German sterken to strengthen, Dutch sterken; see stark

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

Medical definitions for starch

starch

[ stärch ]

n.

A naturally abundant nutrient carbohydrate found chiefly in the seeds, fruits, tubers, roots, and stem pith of plants, and commonly prepared as a white, amorphous, tasteless powder used in powders, ointments, and pastes.amylum

A food having a high content of starch, such as rice, bread, and potatoes.

Scientific definitions for starch

starch

[ stärch ]

A carbohydrate that is the chief form of stored energy in plants, especially wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes. Starch is a mixture of two different polysaccharides built out of glucose units, and forms a white, tasteless powder when purified. It is an important source of nutrition and is also used to make adhesives, paper, and textiles.

Any of various substances, including natural starch, used to stiffen fabrics.

Idioms and Phrases with starch

starch

see take the starch out of.

starch

noun

verb (used with object)

Words related to starch

Words nearby starch

Origin of starch

OTHER WORDS FROM starch

Examples from the Web for starch

British Dictionary definitions for starch

noun

verb

adjective

Derived forms of starch

Word Origin for starch

Medical definitions for starch

n.

Scientific definitions for starch

Idioms and Phrases with starch