°A widely diffused
vegetable substance found especially in
seeds,
bulbs, and
tubers, and extracted (as from
potatoes,
corn,
rice, etc.) as a white, glistening, granular or powdery substance, without taste or smell, and giving a very peculiar creaking sound when rubbed between the fingers. It is used as a food, in the production of commercial grape sugar, for stiffening linen in laundries, in making paste, etc.
verb
°To apply or treat with
laundry starch, to create a hard, smooth surface.
adjective