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Origin and history of starch

starch(v.)

late 14c., sterchen, "stiffen with starch," probably from Old English *stercan (Mercian), *stiercan (West Saxon) "make rigid," the past-participle of which seems to be preserved in stercedferhð "fixed, hard, resolute." It is related to stearc "stiff," from Proto-Germanic *starkjanan "to make hard" (source also of Old Norse staerkja, Old Saxon stercian, Old Frisian sterka, Middle Dutch sterken "strengthen," Swedish stärka "to starch"), from PIE root *ster- (1) "stiff." Also compare German Stärke "strength; starch." Related: Starched; starching.

starch(n.)

"pasty substance made from flour and used to stiffen or whiten cloth," mid-15c., sterche, from starch (v.). The figurative sense of "stiffness and formality of manner" is recorded from 1705.

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to starch

starchy(adj.)

1778, "resembling or abounding in starch," from starch (n.) + -y (2). Figurative sense of "stiff, precise, formal in manner" is by 1828. Related: Starchily; starchiness.

*ster-(1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "stiff."

It might form all or part of: cholesterol; redstart; starch; stare; stark; stark-naked; start; startle; starve; stere; stereo-; stern (adj.); stork; strut; torpedo; torpid; torpor.

It might also be the source of: Greek stereos "solid," sterizein "to support," sterphnios "stiff, rigid," sterphos "hide, skin;" Sanskrit sthirah "hard, firm," Persian suturg "strong;" Lithuanian storas "thick," strėgti "to become frozen;" Old Church Slavonic trupeti, Lithuanian tirpstu, tirpti "to become rigid;" Old Church Slavonic strublu "strong, hard," staru "old" (hence Russian stary "old"); Old English starian "to stare," stearc "stiff, strong, rigid," steorfan "to die," literally "become stiff," styrne "severe, strict."

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    Trends of starch

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    amyl
    hydrocarbon radical, 1850 (amyle), from Latin amylum "starch," from Greek amylon "fine meal, starch," noun use of neuter...So called because it was first obtained from the distilled spirits of potato or grain starch (though it also is obtained...English amyl meant "starch, fine flour."...
    grouch
    He carried a Facial Expression that frightened little Children in Street Cars and took all the Starch out of sentimental...
    malt
    "grain (usually barley) in which, by heat, the starch is converted to sugar," Old English malt (Anglian), mealt (West Saxon...
    corn
    Corn-starch is from 1850. Corn-silk is attested from 1852....
    preparation
    late 14c., preparacioun, "act of preparing or making ready, preliminary act or operation, a previous setting in order," from Old French preparacion (13c.) and directly from Latin praeparationem (nominative praeparatio) "a making ready," noun of action from past participle stem of
    anomic
    1898, from French anomique (Durkheim, 1897); see anomie. A more important form of suicide is that which the author terms "anomic," by which he means the suicides produced by any sudden social shock or disturbance such as that due to economic disasters. Men commit egoistic suicid
    flamboyant
    1832, originally in reference to a 15c.-16c. architectural style with wavy, flame-like curves, from French flamboyant "flaming, wavy," present participle of flamboyer "to flame," from Old French flamboiier "to flame, flare, blaze, glow, shine" (12c.), from flambe "a flame, flame
    Memphis
    ancient city of Egypt, from Memphis, the Greek form of Egyptian Mennefer, literally "his beauty," from men "his" + nefer "beauty" (as in Queen Nefertiti, literally "Beauty has Come"). A reference to pharaoh Pepi I (24c. B.C.E.). The city in Tennessee, U.S., was so named 1826 for
    face
    c. 1300, "the human face, a face; facial appearance or expression; likeness, image," from Old French face "face, countenance, look, appearance" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *facia (source also of Italian faccia), from Latin facies "appearance, form, figure," and secondarily "visage,
    curious
    mid-14c., "subtle, sophisticated;" late 14c., "eager to know, inquisitive, desirous of seeing" (often in a bad sense), also "wrought with or requiring care and art;" from Old French curios "solicitous, anxious, inquisitive; odd, strange" (Modern French curieux) and directly from

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