Starch
/stɑːrtʃ/noun
A white, tasteless carbohydrate used to stiffen fabrics and as a food substance.
Did you know?The English word *starch* comes from an Old English word meaning “to stiffen,” and it was long associated with the hard, crisp finish of linen—proof that everyday words can carry the memory of physical transformation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ster-
“to stiffen, make rigid”
Old English
OE
stearc
“stiff, rigid, strong”
Middle English
ME
starchen
“to stiffen with starch; later, to make stiff or formal”
16th Century
English
starch
“the substance used to stiffen cloth”
Modern English
English
starch
“a carbohydrate used in food and in stiffening fabrics”