staunch

• stanch

From Middle English staunche, from Anglo-Norman estaunche, Old French estanche (“firm, watertight”) (whence Modern French étanche); cf. the verb estanchier. Compare Romanian staunza and Spanish estante.

• enPR: /stônch/, IPA^(key): /stɔːntʃ/
• (some accents) enPR: /stänch/, IPA^(key): /stɑːntʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɔːntʃ, -ɑːntʃ

staunch (comparative stauncher, superlative staunchest)

1. loyal, trustworthy, reliable

   He's been a staunch supporter of mine through every election.

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[[Episode 16]]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare & Co.; Sylvia Beach, OCLC 560090630; republished London: Published for the Egoist Press, London by John Rodker, Paris, October 1922, OCLC 2297483:

     he relished a glass of choice old wine in season as both nourishing and bloodmaking and possessing aperient virtues (notably a good burgundy which he was a staunch believer in)

2. dependable, persistent

   Without our staunch front line the enemy would have split the regiment.

staunch (third-person singular simple present staunches, present participle staunching, simple past and past participle staunched)

1. (transitive) To stop the flow of (blood).
2. (transitive) To stop, check, or deter an action.

   Somebody's got to staunch those press leaks!

The spelling staunch is more commonly used for the adjective. In contrast, stanch is more commonly used as the spelling of the verb.

• canthus, chaunts