Etymology Explorer › English

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

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg- →