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Stark vs Staunch - What's the difference?

stark | staunch |

As adjectives the difference between stark and staunch

is that stark is hard, firm; obdurate while staunch is loyal, trustworthy, reliable, outstanding.

As verbs the difference between stark and staunch

is that stark is to stiffen while staunch is to stop the flow of (blood).

As an adverb stark

is starkly; entirely, absolutely.

As a proper noun Stark

is {{surname}.

stark

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) stark, starc, from (etyl) stearc, . Related to (l). Modifying naked , an alternation of original .

Adjective

(er)
  • (obsolete) Hard, firm; obdurate.
  • Severe; violent; fierce (now usually in describing the weather).
  • * {{quote-magazine, title=The climate of Tibet: Pole-land
    • , date=2013-05-11, volume=407, issue=8835, page=80 , magazine=(The Economist) citation , passage=Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest . It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything.}}
  • (rare) Strong; vigorous; powerful.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • a stark , moss-trooping Scot
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
    • Stark beer, boy, stout and strong beer.
  • Stiff, rigid.
  • * Spenser
    • Whose senses all were straight benumbed and stark .
  • * Shakespeare
    • Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff / Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies.
  • * Ben Jonson
    • The north is not so stark and cold.
  • Hard in appearance; barren, desolate.
    • I picked my way forlornly through the stark , sharp rocks.
  • Complete, absolute, full.
    • I screamed in stark terror.
    A flower was growing, in stark contrast, out of the sidewalk.
  • * Ben Jonson
    • Consider the stark security / The common wealth is in now.
  • * Collier
    • He pronounces the citation stark nonsense.
  • * Selden
    • Rhetoric is very good or stark naught; there's no medium in rhetoric.
    Derived terms
    * (l)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • starkly; entirely, absolutely
    • He's gone stark , staring mad.
    She was just standing there, stark naked.
  • * Fuller
    • held him strangled in his arms till he was stark dead.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1913, author=
    • , title=Lord Stranleigh Abroad , chapter=4 citation , passage=“… That woman is stark mad, Lord Stranleigh. Her own father recognised it when he bereft her of all power in the great business he founded. …”}}
    Usage notes
    In standard modern English, the adverb is essentially restricted to stark naked'' and phrases meaning "crazy" on the pattern of ''stark raving mad .

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) starken, from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete, or, dialect) To stiffen.
    • Related terms
    * starkish * starkly * starkers

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    staunch

    English

    Alternative forms

    * stanch

    Adjective

    (er)
  • loyal, trustworthy, reliable, outstanding
    • He's been a staunch supporter of mine through every election.
  • * , Episode 16
    • 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)
  • dependable, persistent
  • * Without our staunch front line the enemy would have split the regiment.

    • Verb

    (es)
  • To stop the flow of (blood).
  • To stop, check, or deter an action.
  • * Somebody's got to staunch those press leaks!

    • Usage notes

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

    Anagrams

    * *