Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Firm and steadfast; loyal or true. synonym: faithful.
  • adjective Having a strong or substantial construction or constitution.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • See stanch, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • See stanch, stanchly, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective loyal, trustworthy, reliable, outstanding
  • adjective dependable, persistent
  • verb transitive To stop the flow of (blood).
  • verb transitive To stop, check, or deter an action.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective firm and dependable especially in loyalty
  • verb stop the flow of a liquid

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English staunche, from Anglo-Norman estaunche, from estaunchier, to stanch, variant of Old French estanchier; see stanch.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French estanchier ("to stanch"), from Vulgar Latin *stanticāre ("to stop"), from Latin stāre, present active infinitive of stō ("I stand").

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Examples

  • Her idea of being a "great American" (a label staunch conservatives like Coulter, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh bestow on each other) is to proudly wear her homophobia and racial and religious intolerance on her sleeve like a badge of honor.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com 2009

  • Summary: Although staunch is the most common spelling of the adjective meaning “firm” and stanch is the most common spelling of the verb meaning “stop (the flow)”, both spellings are acceptable for both meanings.

    Stanching staunch prescriptivism « Motivated Grammar 2009

  • Nonetheless, even those in staunch opposition are usually won over once Ferret works his furry [...] 2 April 2010, 0: 57 am

    Global Voices in English » Global Voices Unofficial Mascot Loses Left Eye 2009

  • A former member of the Arlington School Board and the Arlington County Board, who served as a representative on the Metro board, Whipple, 70, has been known as a staunch advocate of public transit and the environment.

    Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple retiring from Virginia Senate 2011

  • Menino was described as a "staunch opponent" of the retailer.

    Al Norman: Summertime and the Givin' Is Sleazy Al Norman 2011

  • A former member of the Arlington School Board and the Arlington County Board, who served as a representative on the Metro board, Whipple, 70, has been known as a staunch advocate of public transit and the environment.

    Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple retiring from Virginia Senate 2011

  • "I needed to do what's best for my family," she said Tuesday, adding that she and her 30-year-old husband, Jason, remain staunch Obama supporters.

    Struggling Mom Jennifer Cline Sells Obama Letter For $7,000 To Survive T.J. Ortenzi 2010

  • Summary: Although staunch is the most common spelling of the adjective meaning “firm” and stanch is the most common spelling of the verb meaning “stop (the flow)”, both spellings are acceptable for both meanings.

    2009 April « Motivated Grammar 2009

  • Appointed to Morals Court in 1926, she became known as a staunch advocate of women's rights and used her position to protect the needs of women and families, publicly arguing that abandonment be treated as a felony and that grounds for divorce be made more difficult for the man.

    Personal Information for Mary Belle Grossman Jewish Women's Archive 2010

  • Appointed to Morals Court in 1926, she became known as a staunch advocate of women's rights and used her position to protect the needs of women and families, publicly arguing that abandonment be treated as a felony and that grounds for divorce be made more difficult for the man.

    Personal Information for Mary Belle Grossman 2010

Comments

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  • " if there's anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman... S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. "

    October 21, 2007

  • Why has it taken so long for this word to appear? Always seems come before "supporter" doesn't it?

    October 21, 2007

  • at his hand's staunch hest, birds build.

    from "Ode for Ted," Sylvia Plath

    April 14, 2008