Staunce

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To stop or slow the bleeding from an injury by applying pressure or a bandage
2. To check the flow of blood from a cut or wound by direct application of cloth or compress
3. To halt or reduce blood loss from a wound through pressure or other means

Etymology: "Staunce" is an older spelling of "stance," the word for the way you hold your body when you stand. The spelling variant reflects how English writers once rendered the word's vowel, though the exact period when this form was common is uncertain. The root is Old French "estance," meaning a stay, a dwelling, or a stopping place, which came from Latin "stantia," a standing, and ultimately from "stare," to stand. The sense of a physical stance grew out of that older idea of a place to remain. Over time, the word also came to describe a settled attitude or position toward an issue, so a person can take a stance on a question just as they might plant their feet in a particular way.