Starch Definition

stärch

starched, starches

noun

starches

A white, tasteless, odorless substance found in potatoes, rice, corn, wheat, cassava, and many other vegetables: it is a granular solid, chemically a complex carbohydrate, (C₆H₁₀O₅)_n, and is used in adhesives, sizes, cooking, cosmetics, medicine, etc.

Webster's New World

A powdered form of this, used in laundering for stiffening cloth, fabrics, etc.

Webster's New World

Starchy foods.

Webster's New World

Formal, unbending manner or behavior; stiffness.

Webster's New World

Energy; vigor.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

verb

starched, starches

To stiffen with or as if with starch.

Webster's New World

To apply or treat with laundry starch, to create a hard, smooth surface.

She starched her blouses.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
make stiff
add starch
dip in starch
stiffen

adjective

Stiff; precise; rigid.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Starch

Noun

Singular:

starch

Plural:

starches

Origin of Starch

Middle English starche substance used to stiffen cloth (sense uncertain) from sterchen to stiffen from Old English stercan ster-¹ in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Old English stearc (“stark, strong, rough"). See also stark. Compare German Stärke.

From Wiktionary