starch
part of speech
noun (starch, starches); verb (starch, starches, starched, starching)
meaning for a pupil
1) A white substance found in foods such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes, which gives the body energy. tree →
2) A powder or spray used to make clothes stiff. tree →
3) (verb) To make cloth stiff with starch. tree →
4) A person who is starched-up is very stiff, formal and proud in their manner. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science and healthy-eating lessons, starch is a carbohydrate: energy foods are «starchy foods». A classic test: iodine solution turns blue-black when there is starch in a food; plants make starch in their leaves from sugar to store energy. In history, collars and shirts were starched stiff. Phrases: «starchy foods», «test for starch», «iodine test».
examples
- Bread, rice and potatoes are full of starch. tree →
- Starchy foods give you energy. tree →
- Iodine turns blue-black when it touches starch. tree →
- We tested foods for starch in science. tree →
- Plants store food as starch. tree →
- The cook used corn starch to thicken the gravy. tree →
- Grandma starched the tablecloth for the party. tree →
- Saliva begins breaking down starch in your mouth. tree →
- It is true, I was always a fine starched-up gentleman! tree →
note
Uncountable in general, «starches» for kinds. Adjective «starchy» (full of starch; also stiff and formal). Iodine is poisonous to drink — only use it as the teacher says.
In the corpora
- Bread goes stale as its starch slowly lines up and squeezes out water; warming it in the oven softens it for a while.
- Plants store extra sugar as starch, for example in potatoes and grains.
- It starts in the mouth: teeth chew the food and saliva wets it and begins to break down starch.
- Saliva starts to break down starch, as in bread and rice, into sugar.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «starch» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.