Where does “starchness” come from?

starchness (English) comes from English starch, from Middle English starche, from Middle English sterch, from Middle English stark, from Old English stearc, from Proto-West Germanic stark, from Proto-Germanic starkaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg- — to be stiff; rigid; rigid, stiff.

starchness (English): Stiffness of manner; preciseness; The quality of...

Definitions

  1. Stiffness of manner; preciseness; The quality of...

Ancestry of “starchness”, step by step

starchness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English starch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstarchA widely diffused vegetable substance found...
2Middle Englishstarche
3Middle Englishsterchstiff
4Middle Englishstark
5Old Englishstearcsevere, stern, harsh; stiff, rigid, not bending,...
6Proto-West Germanicstarkstiff, stark
7Proto-Germanicstarkaz
8Proto-Indo-European(s)terg-to be stiff; rigid; rigid, stiff

via English Ness

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNessAn Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa
2Middle Englishnesse
3Old Englishnæsnot, not at all; not; first/third-person singular...
4Proto-Germanicnasjąfoothill; headland; cape
5Proto-Indo-Europeannéh₂snose
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg-