It’s a tricky one, this stanch vs staunch word confusion.
Both are alternate spellings for each other. Both come from the French estancher meaning to check or stop the flowing of. Both have been in use for hundreds of years. Most dictionaries accept them as having the same meaning.
But . . .
Each has its own place in different scenarios and is professionally used as:
- Stanch is mostly used as a verb meaning to stop someone from bleeding, to stop the flow of, to check, to allay.
- Staunch is more frequently used as an adjective about loyalty, being firm and steadfast, or having a strong constitution.
Both have additional meanings, which they don’t share, so do pay attention.
Merriam-Webster provides this limerick to help remind you when to use which:
Tho’ neither stanch nor staunch must conform
To rigid semantical norm
Some editors will blanch,
When encountering stanch
If it’s used in adjective form
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Stanch | Staunch |
|---|---|
Improvised Tourniquet by Neeta Lind is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikipedia Commons. — Tourniquets are one way to stanch bleeding. |
Let’s Be Honest, America: Human Rights Are Still On the Line by Ted Eytan is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Justice Revival in an article “Let’s Be Honest, America: Human Rights Are Still On the Line” by Allyson McKinney Timm. — Staunch supporters for human rights turned out onto the streets. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective; Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun: stanches Third person present verb: stanches Alternative spelling: staunch Archaic spellings: staench, stawnch |
Adjective 1, 2; Verb, transitive 2
Third person present verb: staunches Alternative spelling: stanch |
| Adjective: [Archaic spelling] Loyal and committed in attitude Noun: Verb, intransitive:
Verb, transitive:
[Archaic] To check, allay, or extinguish [Archaic] Assuage |
Adjective: Loyal and committed in attitude 1 [Of a wall] Of strong or firm construction 2
Verb, transitive: To keep something from continuing |
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: She was a stanch supporter of the antinuclear lobby. He was a stanch Catholic. “Xavier is also a stanch ally to the LGBTQ community, and I know that he will work with us to ensure health equity for our community” (Levesque). Noun: The Capstan Wheel near Hurley, England, that was used to winch boats upstream past a stanch was restored in 1999. On the Thames they were called navigation weirs, on the East Anglian rivers they were called stanches. Verb, intransitive: Immediately her issue of blood stanched. The yen’s recent surge must be stanched. Verb, transitive: The company did nothing to stanch the tide of rumors. Schilling wasn’t alone in being willing to spill a little blood to staunch an ancient wound. He attempted to stanch their bitter feelings. |
Adjective: She a staunch supporter of the antinuclear lobby. He was a staunch Catholic. These staunch walls could withstand attack by cannon. She was a staunch ship. Verb, transitive: The company abandoned the plan to staunch the departure of more managers. Staunch that hole! |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: stanchable, stancher, stanchest, unstanchable Adverb: stanchly Noun: stancher, stanchness |
Adjective: staunchable, stauncher, staunchest Adverb: staunchly Noun: stauncher, staunching, staunchness |
| History of the Word: | |
| First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English stanchen, staunchen (verb) from the Old French estanchier meaning to close, stop, slake (thirst), from the Vulgar Latin stanticāre meaning unattested, equivalent to the Latin stant- (stem of stāns, present participle of stāre meaning to stand) + -icāre, a causative suffix. |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Stanch versus Staunch
Apple Dictionary.com
“The Battle of ‘Stanch’ vs ‘Staunch’.” Merriam-Webster. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/stanch-vs-staunch-usage>.
Cambridge Dictionary: staunch
Dictionary.com: stanch, staunch
“Flash Lock.” Wikipedia. 14 Jan 2022. Web. 14 Aug 2022. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_lock>.
Levesque, Brody. “California Attorney General Xaver Becerra Picked as His Secretary.” Washington Blade. 7 Dec 2020. Web. 14 Aug 2022. <https://www.washingtonblade.com/2020/12/06/california-attorney-general-xavier-becerra-picked-as-hhs-secretary/>.
Lexico.com: stanch
“Stanch vs. Staunch.” Usage. Grammarist.com. n.d. Web. 14 Aug 2022. <https://grammarist.com/usage/stanch-staunch/&g;.
YourDictionary.com: staunch
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Bleeding is PrPom‘s own work, which is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
