vbl. sb. [f. STARCH v. + -ING1.]
1. The action of the verb STARCH.
1390–1. Norwick Sacrist’s Roll (MS.), Vestiarium. Pro Coole pro starchyng, viij d.
1444. Compota Domest. (Abbotsf. Club), 23. Furfur … Liberantur lotrici de camera pro sterchyng velaminum domine et generosarum suarum hoc anno … j quarterium.
1529–30. Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905), 350. Paid for wasshyng & Starchyng of þe pix clothe ij d.
1671. Dryden, Assignation, III. i. A Waiting-woman … with mighty Golls, rough-Grain’d, and red with Starching.
1837. Whittock, Bk. Trades (1842), 32. (Bleacher) The next process is ‘starching and bluing.’
1893. Laundry Management, ix. 65. Starching may be done either by hand or by machine.
b. attrib.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. 35. They haue their starching houses … the better to trimme and dresse their ruffes.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 348/1. The Weavers Starching Brush, is a long square Bristle Brush; with it he Starcheth the Yarn.
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 1167. Starching and Steam-drying Apparatus. Ibid., 1168. C, is the cloth-beam, from which the starching roller draws forward the goods.
1875. J. Paton, in Encycl. Brit., III. 817/2. [Bleaching.] The starching mangle and drying-machine are seen together in fig 10.
1893. Laundry Management, xviii. 152. Starching machines are virtually the same as the above [blueing machines].
† 2. concr. Starch. Obs.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 201. The excrements being of a yellowish colour in young men (like their starching now adayes).
1775. Ash, Starching,… the starch put in cloaths to make them stiff.
