starch

[stahrch]

noun

1. a white, tasteless, solid carbohydrate, (C 6 H 1 0 O5 ) 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.

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

3. starches, foods rich in natural starch.

4. stiffness or formality, as of manner.

   He is so full of starch he can't relax.

5. Informal.,  physical or mental energy; vigor.

   Synonyms: boldness, stamina, energy

verb (used with object)

1. to stiffen or treat with starch.

2. to make stiff or rigidly formal (sometimes followed byup ).

starch

/ stɑːtʃ /

noun

1. a polysaccharide composed of glucose units that occurs widely in plant tissues in the form of storage granules, consisting of amylose and amylopectin

2. 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

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

4. stiff or pompous formality of manner or conduct

verb

1. (tr) to stiffen with or soak in starch

adjective

1. (of a person) formal; stiff

starch

1. 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.

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

Other Word Forms

• starchlike adjective
• starcher noun
• starchless adjective
• overstarch verb (used with object)
• overstarched adjective
• unstarched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of starch¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (verb) sterchen originally, “to stiffen,” Old English stercean “to make stiff, strengthen,” derivative of stearc “stiff, firm”; cognate with German stärken “to strengthen”; stark

Word History and Origins

Origin of starch¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see take the starch out of.

Example Sentences

“The Gilded Age” has always plied high-toned melodrama as its chief asset, but Season 3 ripens the starched formality of previous episodes into succulence.

From Salon

Waiters float about in starched whites under slow fans and amber lights.

From Salon

Firstly, that mushrooms do not contain starch, but supplements consisting of mycelium grown on grain does.

From Los Angeles Times

That's because once fresh peas are harvested, their sugars immediately turn into starch.

From Salon

Those factors, however, don’t take away from the starch in the senator’s spine or her willingness to stand up while so many others in her party cower in submission.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• carbohydrate 
• sugar