noun
starch
STAHCH
noun
1
A carbohydrate found in foods like potatoes, rice, and grains, used by the body for energy.
"Pasta is high in starch."
"The chef added a spoonful of starch to thicken the sauce."
2
A substance used to stiffen fabric, especially collars and shirts, when doing laundry.
"He always asked the dry cleaner for extra starch in his shirts."
verb
1
To treat fabric with starch to make it stiff.
"She starched his collar so it would hold its shape."
How to Use Starch
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the carbohydrate in foods like potatoes and bread, or the laundry product that stiffens clothes.
Common pairings
starchy food
starch a shirt
potato starch
corn starch
Word Forms
starched past tense, starches plural, starches singular
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Etymology
From an Old English word meaning "stiffness" or "strength," related to the word "stark." The food sense and the laundry sense both trace back to the same idea of something that makes things rigid.