| 1. | to stop the flow of (a liquid, esp. blood). |
| 2. | to stop the flow of blood or other liquid from (a wound, leak, etc.). |
| 3. | Archaic. to check, allay, or extinguish. |
| 4. | to stop flowing, as blood; be stanched. |
| 5. | Also called flash-lock, navigation weir. a lock that, after being partially emptied, is opened suddenly to send a boat over a shallow place with a rush of water. |
stanch 1 (stônch, stänch, stānch) tr.v. stanched also staunched, stanch·ing also staunch·ing, stanch·es also staunch·es
[Middle English stanchen, from Old French estanchier, from Vulgar Latin *stanticāre, to stop, probably from Latin stāns, stant-, present participle of stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.] stanch'er n. |