Word of the Day

: January 13, 2018

stanch

verb STAUNCH

What It Means

1 : to check or stop the flowing of; also : to stop the flow of blood from (a wound)

2 a : to stop or check in its course

b : to make watertight : stop up

stanch in Context

The company's CEO gave the keynote address at the convention, stanching rumors that he was not recovering well from his surgery.

"Firefighters watched the smoke and assessed wind patterns, raking dead leaves and branches away from the blaze in hopes of stanching its charge once again." — Alissa Greenberg, The Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2017

Did You Know?

The verb stanch has a lot in common with the adjective staunch, meaning "steadfast." Not only do both words derive from the Anglo-French word estancher (which has the same meaning as stanch), but the spelling "s-t-a-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the adjective, and the spelling "s-t-a-u-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the verb. Although both spelling variants have been in reputable use for centuries and both are perfectly standard for either the verb or adjective, stanch is the form used most often for the verb and staunch is the most common variant for the adjective.