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# starch

«starch» in Mova's school dictionary: **A white substance found in foods such as bread, rice…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#m1)

2) A powder or spray used to make clothes stiff. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#m2)

3) (verb) To make cloth stiff with starch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#m3)

4) A person who is starched-up is very stiff, formal and proud in their manner. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#m4)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x1)
- Starchy foods give you energy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x2)
- Iodine turns blue-black when it touches starch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x3)
- We tested foods for starch in science. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x4)
- Plants store food as starch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x5)
- The cook used corn starch to thicken the gravy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x6)
- Grandma starched the tablecloth for the party. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x7)
- Saliva begins breaking down starch in your mouth. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x8)
- It is true, I was always a fine starched-up gentleman! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/#x9)

### 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.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/21-bread-rising-yeast-at-work/16/)
- [Plants store extra sugar as starch, for example in potatoes and grains.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/22-photosynthesis/14/)
- [It starts in the mouth: teeth chew the food and saliva wets it and begins to break down starch.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/33-digestion/2/)
- [Saliva starts to break down starch, as in bread and rice, into sugar.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/33-digestion/9/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «starch» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/starch/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.