Staunch
/stɔːntʃ/noun
Firmly loyal, steadfast, or uncompromising; also to stop the flow of blood or liquid.
Did you know?Staunch entered English through Anglo-French and originally meant to stop or check the flow of blood or water, so its modern sense of steadfastness grew out of the physical image of sealing a wound.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*stengʰ-
“to drip, trickle, or make wet”
Late Latin
Latin
stagnare
“to stagnate, make still or motionless”
Old French
Old French
estanchier
“to stop the flow of blood or water; to staunch”
Middle English
English
staunchen
“to stop bleeding or the flow of a liquid”
Modern English
English
staunch
“firmly loyal or steadfast; also to stop bleeding or a leak”