What does starch mean?
Starch is a carbohydrate that plants make and store as an energy reserve. It occurs particularly in foods such as potatoes, rice, wheat, maize, and legumes, and it is also extracted for use as a thickener in sauces, soups, custards, and other preparations. When people speak of starchy food, they usually mean foods that contain a substantial amount of this carbohydrate. Starch also has a domestic use: dissolved in water and applied to clothing, it stiffens fabric, especially collars and cuffs. The verb 'to starch' refers to this process, while the adjective 'starchy' can describe both food and, figuratively, a person or attitude that seems excessively formal, rigid, or old-fashioned. The word is common in both British and American English. Its everyday household sense reflects the older association of starch with stiffness and strength.
A white, tasteless polysaccharide found in plants and used as a thickener, binder, or energy-giving food; also a substance used to stiffen fabric.
"The sauce needs more starch to reach the right consistency."
In informal use, 'starch' can also mean a person regarded as overly formal or conventional.
To stiffen clothing or other fabric by applying starch to it.
"She starched the linen before folding it."
The verb is commonly used with laundry, particularly shirts, collars, and cuffs.
Usually used when referring to separate starchy foods or substances; for example, potatoes and rice are starchy foods.
"The menu offers several starches, including potatoes, rice, and couscous."
The word 'starch' began as a reference to stiffness and strength before it came to name the plant substance that gives textiles their crisp finish.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does starch come from?
The word comes from Old English stærþ, associated with strength or stiffness and with the same Germanic root found in words such as 'stark', 'strong', and 'steer'. The substance was named for its firming effect on linen, especially before modern laundry starches became widely used. The modern spelling reflects the development of the Middle English form through the influence of related forms in continental European languages.
Related word forms
How starch is actually used
In its noun sense, 'starch' can refer to the substance itself or, informally, to a person considered overly formal or conventional. 'Starchy' describes food that is high in starch and can also describe behavior that is rigid, formal, or unwelcomingly traditional.
Easily confused with starch
Starch is a carbohydrate or a substance used to stiffen fabric, whereas stark means bare, severe, or harshly clear.