a star-shaped disk, used as a kind of ratchet wheel, in repeating watches and the feed motions of some
machines. — Star worm (Zoöl.), a gephyrean. — Temporary star (Astron.), a star which appears
suddenly, shines for a period, and then nearly or quite disappears. These stars are supposed by some
astronometers to be variable stars of long and undetermined periods. — Variable star (Astron.), a
star whose brilliancy varies periodically, generally with regularity, but sometimes irregularly; — called
periodical star when its changes occur at fixed periods. — Water star grass (Bot.), an aquatic plant
(Schollera graminea) with small yellow starlike blossoms.
Star
(Star) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Starred (stärd); p. pr. & vb. n. Starring.] To set or adorn with stars, or
bright, radiating bodies; to bespangle; as, a robe starred with gems. "A sable curtain starred with gold."
Young.
Star
(Star), v. i. To be bright, or attract attention, as a star; to shine like a star; to be brilliant or prominent; to
play a part as a theatrical star. W. Irving.
Star-blind
(Star"-blind`) a. Half blind.
Starboard
(Star"board`) n. [OE. sterbord, AS. steórbord, i.e., steer board. See Steer, v. t., Board of
a vessel, and cf. Larboard.] (Naut.) That side of a vessel which is on the right hand of a person who
stands on board facing the bow; - - opposed to larboard, or port.
Starboard
(Star"board`), a. (Naut.) Pertaining to the right-hand side of a ship; being or lying on the
right side; as, the starboard quarter; starboard tack.
Starboard
(Star"board`), v. t. (Naut.) To put to the right, or starboard, side of a vessel; as, to starboard
the helm.
Star-bowlines
(Star"-bow`lines) n. pl. (Naut.) The men in the starboard watch. [Obs.] R. H. Dana, Jr.
Starch
(Starch) a. [AS. stearc stark, strong, rough. See Stark.] Stiff; precise; rigid. [R.] Killingbeck.
Starch
(Starch), n. [From starch stiff, cf. G. stärke, fr. stark strong.]
1. (Chem.) A widely diffused vegetable substance found especially in seeds, bulbs, and tubers, and
extracted (as from potatoes, corn, rice, etc.) as a white, glistening, granular or powdery substance, without
taste or smell, and giving a very peculiar creaking sound when rubbed between the fingers. It is used
as a food, in the production of commercial grape sugar, for stiffening linen in laundries, in making paste,
etc.
Starch is a carbohydrate, being the typical amylose, C6H10O5, and is detected by the fine blue color
given to it by free iodine. It is not fermentable as such, but is changed by diastase into dextrin and maltose,
and by heating with dilute acids into dextrose. Cf. Sugar, Inulin, and Lichenin.
2. Fig.: A stiff, formal manner; formality. Addison.
Starch hyacinth (Bot.), the grape hyacinth; — so called because the flowers have the smell of boiled
starch. See under Grape.
Starch
(Starch), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Starched ; p. pr. & vb. n. Starching.] To stiffen with starch.
Star-chamber
(Star"-cham`ber) n. [So called (as conjectured by Blackstone) from being held in a room
at the Exchequer where the chests containing certain Jewish comtracts and obligations called starrs
(from the Heb. shetar, pron. shtar) were kept; or from the stars with which the ceiling is supposed
to have been decorated.] (Eng. Hist.) An ancient high court exercising jurisdiction in certain cases,
mainly criminal, which sat without the intervention of a jury. It consisted of the king's council, or of the
