Blanched
/blɑːntʃt/noun
Paled or whitened, especially from fear, illness, or heat; also cooked briefly in boiling water.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Old French *blanchir* (“to whiten”), from a Germanic root that also gave English *blank*, so “blanched” and “blank” are distant cousins in the language of emptiness and white.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*blankaz
“shining, white, gleaming”
Late Latin
Latin
blancus
“white, shining”
Old French
Old French
blanchir
“to whiten”
Middle English
English
blanchen
“to blanch, make white; turn pale”
Modern English
English
blanched
“paled or whitened; briefly boiled to soften or preserve”
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