Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “sterch” come from?

sterch (Middle English) comes 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.

sterch (Middle English): stiff

Definitions

  1. stiff

Ancestry of “sterch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstark—
2Old Englishstearcsevere, stern, harsh; stiff, rigid, not bending,...
3Proto-West Germanicstarkstiff, stark
4Proto-Germanicstarkaz—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)terg-to be stiff; rigid; rigid, stiff

Words derived from “sterch”

  • starch
  • starchy
  • cornstarch
  • starchiness
  • nonstarchy
  • nonstarch
  • starcher
  • starchless
  • nitrostarch
  • starchily
  • clearstarcher
  • pentastarch
  • distarch
  • starchlike
  • starchness
  • starchly
  • unstarch
  • clearstarch
  • non-starchy
  • overstarch
  • starchwort
  • tetrastarch
  • starche
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg- →