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View synonyms for starch

starch

[ stahrch ]

noun

  1. a white, tasteless, solid carbohydrate, (C 6 H 1 0 O 5 ) 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 by up ).

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 amylaceous
  2. Also calledamylum 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

/ stärch /

  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.


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Derived Forms

  • ˈstarchˌlike, adjective
  • ˈstarcher, noun

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Other Words From

  • starchless adjective
  • starchlike adjective
  • over·starch verb (used with object)
  • over·starched adjective
  • un·starched adjective

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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

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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

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Idioms and Phrases

see take the starch out of .

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Example Sentences

Quite a few of these loafs use potato starch and tapioca starch in attempts to produce a lighter, fluffier product.

Sugar and lots of starch will give you a boost followed by a crash that will end your late night partying.

Making it with quinoa instead of rice gives you the wonderful taste and comfort of risotto without all that starch.

Tsai: The ratio of vegetables to meat to starch is much higher.

Starch-granules are recognized by their concentric striations and the fact that they stain blue with iodin solutions.

Starch-granules sometimes retain their original form, but are ordinarily not to be recognized except by their staining reaction.

Starch is insoluble in cold water, but by boiling, it dissolves, forming a thick paste.

Mandy Ann had put on her best frock, a white one, stiff with starch, and standing out like a small balloon.

Have ready some very clear and weak gum-arabic water, or some thin starch, or rice-water.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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