HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
adj. staunch·er, staunch·est also stanch·er or stanch·est 1. Firm and steadfast; loyal or true. See Synonyms at faithful. 2. Having a strong or substantial construction or constitution: "the staunch turrets of the fortified city walls" (Robert Rosenberg). [Middle English staunche, from Anglo-Norman estaunche, from estaunchier, to stanch, variant of Old French estanchier; see STANCH1.] staunchly adv. staunchness n. Usage Note: Staunch is more common than stanch as the spelling of the adjective. Stanch is more common than staunch as the spelling of the verb. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
tr.v. stanched, stanch·ing, stanch·es also staunched or staunch·ing or staunch·es 1. To stop or check the flow of (blood or tears, for example). 2. To stop the flow of blood from (a wound). 3. To stop, check, or allay: "My anxiety is stanched; I am at peace" (Scott Turow). See Usage Note at staunch1. [Middle English stanchen, from Old French estanchier, from Vulgar Latin *stanticāre, to stop, probably from Latin stāns, stant-, present participle of stāre, to stand; see stā- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] stancher n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
