Where does “unstarch” come from?

unstarch (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.

unstarch (English): To free from starch; to make limp or pliable

Definitions

  1. To free from starch; to make limp or pliable

Ancestry of “unstarch”, step by step

unstarch 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 un

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunOne
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg-Every word from Proto-Germanic starkazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic stark