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starching

 [stahrch]   Origin

starch

   [stahrch]
noun
1.
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.
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. vigor; energy; stamina; boldness.
verb (used with object)
6.
to stiffen or treat with starch.
7.
to make stiff or rigidly formal (sometimes followed by up).

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Starching is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Origin:
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.

Related forms
starch·less, adjective
starch·like, adjective
o·ver·starch, verb (used with object)
o·ver·starched, adjective
un·starched, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

starch
1402, from O.E. *stercan (Mercian), *stiercan (W.Saxon) "make rigid," found in stercedferhð "fixed, hard, resolute" (related to stearc "stiff"), from P.Gmc. *starkijanan (cf. Ger. Stärke "strength, starch"), from PIE base *ster- "strong, firm, stiff, rigid" (see
EXPAND
stark). The noun meaning "pasty substance used to stiffen cloth" is first recorded c.1440, from the verb. Fig. sense of "stiffness of manner" is recorded from 1705.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

starch (stärch)
n.

  1. 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. Also called amylum.

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

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
starch   (stärch)  Pronunciation Key 

  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.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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