Blanch (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Blanched (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blanching.] [OE. blanchen, blaunchen, F.
blanchir, fr. blanc white. See Blank,
a.]
1. To take the color out of, and make white; to
bleach; as, to blanch linen; age has blanched his
hair.
2. (Gardening) To bleach by excluding the
light, as the stalks or leaves of plants, by earthing them up or tying them
together.
3. (Confectionery & Cookery) (a)
To make white by removing the skin of, as by scalding; as, to
blanch almonds. (b) To whiten, as the
surface of meat, by plunging into boiling water and afterwards into cold,
so as to harden the surface and retain the juices.
4. To give a white luster to (silver, before
stamping, in the process of coining.).
5. To cover (sheet iron) with a coating of
tin.
6. Fig.: To whiten; to give a favorable appearance
to; to whitewash; to palliate.
Blanch over the blackest and most absurd things.
Tillotson.
Syn. -- To Blanch, Whiten. To whiten is the
generic term, denoting, to render white; as, to whiten the walls of
a room. Usually (though not of necessity) this is supposed to be done by
placing some white coloring matter in or upon the surface of the object in
question. To blanch is to whiten by the removal of coloring matter;
as, to blanch linen. So the cheek is blanched by fear, i. e.,
by the withdrawal of the blood, which leaves it white.
Blanch (&?;), v. i. To grow or become
white; as, his cheek blanched with fear; the rose blanches in
the sun.
[Bones] blanching on the grass.
Tennyson.
Blanch, v. t. [See Blench.]
1. To avoid, as from fear; to evade; to leave
unnoticed. [Obs.]
Ifs and ands to qualify the words of treason, whereby every
man might express his malice and blanch his danger.
Bacon.
I suppose you will not blanch Paris in your way.
Reliq. Wot.
2. To cause to turn aside or back; as, to
blanch a deer.
Blanch, v. i. To use evasion.
[Obs.]
Books will speak plain, when counselors blanch.
Bacon.
Blanch, n. (Mining) Ore, not in
masses, but mixed with other minerals.
