Starch
WordNet
noun
(1) A complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice; an important foodstuff and used otherwise especially in adhesives and as fillers and stiffeners for paper and textiles
verb
(2) Stiffen with starch
"Starch clothes"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
. See also . Compare German .
Noun
- A widely diffused vegetable substance found especially in seeds, bulbs, and tubers, and extracted (as from potatoes, corn, rice, etc.) as a white, glistening, granular or powdery substance, without taste or smell, and giving a very peculiar creaking sound when rubbed between the fingers. It is used as a food, in the production of commercial grape sugar, for stiffening linen in laundries, in making paste, etc.
- Carbohydrates, as with grain and potato based foods.
- A stiff, formal manner; formality.
- Any of various starch-like substances used as a laundry stiffener
Verb
- To apply or treat with laundry starch, to create a hard, smooth surface.
- She starched her blouses.