| 释义 |
starch
I. \ˈstärch, ˈstȧch\ transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-es)
Etymology: Middle English sterchen, probably from (assumed) Old English stercan to stiffen (whence Old English sterced- firm, resolute); akin to Old High German sterken to strengthen, Old Swedish stærkia to starch, strengthen; causative from the root of Old English stearc stiff, strong — more at stark
1.
a. : to stiffen with or as if with starch
< the sheets were starched cool and smooth — Anton Vogt >
b. : to make formal, precise or conventional : set into a rigid pattern
< derived from times when the English language had not yet been starched and formalized with definitions and rules of grammar — American Guide Series: Tennessee >
2. obsolete : to fasten or attach with starch paste
II. noun
(-es)
Etymology: Middle English sterche, from sterchen, v.
1.
a. : a white odorless tasteless granular or powdery complex carbohydrate (C6H10O5)x that is the chief storage form of carbohydrate in plants, is obtained commercially especially from corn and potatoes, is hydrolyzed by acids to dextrins, hydrol, and finally glucose and by carbohydrases to dextrins or glucose, is insoluble in cold water but swells in hot water and cools to form a paste or gel, gives a characteristic blue color with iodine, is an important foodstuff, and is used otherwise chiefly in adhesives and sizes for paper and textiles, in laundering, and in pharmacy and medicine — compare cellulose, cornstarch, glycogen, soluble starch
b. : a substance used similarly to starch especially for stiffening textile fabrics
< a permanent starch for household use is usually based on an emulsion of polyvinyl acetate or its copolymer with acrylic ester — K.G.Blaikie & M.S.W.Small >
2. : a stiff formal manner : formality
< was there nothing in beautiful manners but foppery, prudery, starch, and affectation — Van Wyck Brooks >
3. : a strengthening vitality : energy and resolution : resolute vigor
< he has … spine and starch, in a country sometimes lacking both — John Gunther >
III. adjective
(-er/-est)
: marked by a stiff formality or preciseness of manner |