Where does “starchy” come from?
Starchy derives from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, Latin -ia, Proto-Indo-European -kos, and Proto-Indo-European -kos, forming an adjectival suffix chain whose ultimate origin and sense development remain unestablished.
starchy (English): Of or pertaining to starch; Containing starch;...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to starch; Containing starch;...
Ancestry of “starchy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | starch | A widely diffused vegetable substance found... |
| 2 | Middle English | starche | — |
| 3 | Middle English | sterch | stiff |
| 4 | Middle English | stark | — |
| 5 | Old English | stearc | severe, stern, harsh; stiff, rigid, not bending,... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | stark | stiff, stark |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | starkaz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)terg- | to be stiff; rigid; rigid, stiff |