staunch
/stɔːn(t)ʃ/ adjective, noun
Also a form of stanch
Forms stauncher staunchest staunches staunching staunched stanch
- adjective Not permitting water or some other liquid to escape or penetrate; watertight.
- adjective (by extension) Impermeable to air or other gases; airtight.
- adjective Strongly built; also, in good or strong condition.
- adjective Staying true to one's aims or principles; firm, resolute, unswerving. “Without our staunch front line the enemy would have split the regiment.”
- adjective Dependable, loyal, reliable, trustworthy. “He’s been a staunch supporter of mine through every election.”
- adjective (chiefly hunting) Of a hunting dog: that can be depended on to pick up the scent of, or to mark, game.
- adjective (obsolete) Cautious, restrained.
- adjective Stubborn, intransigent.
- noun (obsolete) That which stanches or checks a flow.
- noun (specifically, archaic) A plant or substance which stops the flow of blood; a styptic.
- noun (obsolete) An act of stanching or stopping.
- noun (mining) Synonym of afterdamp (“suffocating gases present in a coal mine after an explosion caused by firedamp”).
Synonyms
hermetically sealed constant determined persistent steadfast unwavering unyielding unswerving guarded adamant ardent grim untiring bent on bloody-minded bullheaded certain chronic confirmed diehard stem stanch halt
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English staunch, staunche (“(adjective) in good condition or repair; solidly made, firm; watertight; of a person or wound: not bleeding; certain; intact; (adverb) firmly, soundly”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman estaunche, Old French estanche (“firm; watertight”) (modern French étanche (“airtight; watertight”)), a variant of estanc (“a pond”), from estanchier (“to stop the flow of a liquid (blood, water, etc.); to make (something) watertight; to quench (thirst)”) (modern French étancher), possibly from one of the following:
* From Vulgar Latin *stagnicāre, from Latin stāgnum (“piece of standing water, pond; fen, swamp”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂g- (“to drip; to seep”).
* From Vulgar Latin *stānticāre, from *stānticus (“tired”), from Latin stāns, stāntis (“standing; remaining, staying”). Stāns is the present active participle of stō (“to stand; to remain, stay”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”).
* Italian stanco (“bored; tired”)
* Portuguese estanque (“watertight”)
* Romansh staunza (“a room”)
* Spanish estanco (“closed, sealed; airtight; watertight”)
* from Middle English staunche, stanche (“something which stops the flow of blood; (figuratively) shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)”), from Old French estanche (“pond; tank”), from estanc (“pond”) (modern French étang (“pond; lagoon”)), from estanchier (verb): see further at etymology 2; and/or
* derived directly from the verb.
From Middle English staunchen, staunche (“to stop the flow of blood, diarrhoea, or other bodily fluids; to alleviate, ease; to appease, assuage, satisfy; to cure; to overcome; to put an end to; to repress, suppress; of a river or stream: to stop flowing; of waters, wind, or weather: to become calm, subside; to extinguish or put out (a fire)”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman estauncher, estaunchier, estanger, Old French estancher, estanchier (verb) [and other forms]; see further at etymology 1 and at stanch.
See stanch (etymology 4).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “staunch”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details