starch

[stahrch] /stɑrtʃ/
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. 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).
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
starchless, adjective
starchlike, adjective
overstarch, verb (used with object)
overstarched, adjective
unstarched, adjective
Examples from the web for starch
  • starch is a substance, one form of which is used for cooking, and another of which is used to add firmness and shape to clothing.
  • It breaks starch molecules into more digestible fragments.
  • The new research is based on the discovery that domestic chili peppers leave behind telltale starch grains.
  • Tapioca starch flour is one of the main ingredients in countless gluten free products found in the developed world.
  • In a pasta salad, though, the starch soaks up the dressing and makes the dish gummy.
  • Fold in tapioca starch until it forms a workable ball of dough.
  • The evidence was in the form of microscopic starch granules found on stone tools from the cave.
  • The raw material for the process is glucose syrup made from maize starch.
  • Modern wheat has high starch yields, but low protein.
  • When plants or animals need to store glucose, they stack the molecules into long chains to make starch.
British Dictionary definitions for starch

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 related adjective amylaceous
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
5.
(transitive) to stiffen with or soak in starch
adjective
6.
(of a person) formal; stiff
Derived Forms
starcher, noun
starchlike, adjective
Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for starch
v.

c.1400, from Old English *stercan (Mercian), *stiercan (West Saxon) "make rigid," found in stercedferhð "fixed, hard, resolute" (related to stearc "stiff"), from Proto-Germanic *starkijanan (cf. German Stärke "strength, starch"), from PIE root *ster- "strong, firm, stiff, rigid" (see stark). Related: Starched; starching.

n.

"pasty substance used to stiffen cloth," mid-15c., from starch (v.). Figurative sense of "stiffness of manner" is recorded from 1705.

starch in Medicine

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.

starch in Science
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.


Idioms and Phrases with starch

starch

see: take the starch out of