starches

starch  (stärch)

n.

1. A naturally abundant nutrient carbohydrate, (C₆H₁₀O₅)_n, found chiefly in the seeds, fruits, tubers, roots, and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice, and varying widely in appearance according to source but commonly prepared as a white amorphous tasteless powder.

2. Any of various substances, such as natural starch, used to stiffen cloth, as in laundering.

3. starches Foods having a high content of starch, as rice, breads, and potatoes.

4.

a. Stiff behavior.

b. Vigor; mettle: "Business travel can take the starch out of the most self-assured corporate titan" (Lisa Faye Kaplan).

tr.v. starched, starch·ing, starch·es

To stiffen with starch.

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[Middle English starche, substance used to stiffen cloth (sense uncertain), from sterchen, to stiffen, from Old English *stercan; see ster-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

starches - foodstuff rich in natural starch (especially potatoes, rice, bread) food product, foodstuff - a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food bread, breadstuff, staff of life - food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked Irish potato, murphy, potato, spud, tater, white potato - an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland rice - grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished