Starches

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A category of complex carbohydrates derived from plants that serve as key energy sources when ingested by living organisms
2. A type of carbohydrate predominantly found in plant-based foods, functioning as an important fuel for bodily energy needs
3. Polysaccharides found mainly in plants that provide a significant source of fuel for animals and humans

Etymology: The word "starches" is simply the plural of "starch," and the surprise lies in the original meaning. Starch was named for stiffness, not for food. Old English "stierċe" meant "stiffness, rigidity, strength," and it descends from a Proto-West Germanic root that carried the same sense of rigidity and fortitude, ultimately traceable to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "stiff, rigid." The link to the modern meaning came through the way the substance was used. Starch was valued for its power to make cloth and linen rigid, so the name of the quality passed to the stuff that produced it. The related German "Stärke" shows the same double life, meaning both "strength" and "starch," and Swedish and Icelandic keep the link alive in their own words for the substance. Starch is also cognate with the English adjective "stark," which still means "stiff, strong, vigorous, powerful." The food sense came later, as the plant polysaccharides we now call starches were recognised as a store of energy.

Synonyms: carbohydrates, polysaccharides