staunch 1. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

staunch¹

PRONUNCIATION:	stônch, stänch
VARIANT FORMS:	also stanch ( stônch, stänch, stnch)
ADJECTIVE:	Inflected forms: staunch·er also stanch·er, staunch·est also stanch·est 1. Firm and steadfast; true. See synonyms at faithful. 2. Having a strong or substantial construction or constitution.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English staunche, from Anglo-Norman estaunche, from estaunchier, to stanch, variant of Old French estanchier. See stanch¹.
OTHER FORMS:	staunchly —ADVERB staunchness —NOUN
USAGE NOTE:	Staunch is more common than stanch as the spelling of the adjective. Stanch is more common than staunch as the spelling of the verb.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.