Dictionary

stanchless en · ADJ

Etymology

Etymology tree English stanch Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English stanchless From stanch + -less.

Meanings

1. Incapable of being stanched or stopped.
   • 1819, Jeremiah Holmes Wiffen, “Aspley Wood” Canto 2, stanza 26, in Aonian Hours and Other Poems, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 2nd edition, 1820, p. 82, We see, but cannot heal the stanchless wound, We share its gushing sorrow, still it bleeds;
   • In his little red notebook the following random thoughts formed and were jotted down, like the slow interior overflow of a stanchless music. 1974, Lawrence Durrell, “Sutcliffe, the Venetian Documents”, in Monsieur, New York: Viking, published 1975, page 209:
   • And while I listed long, Day rose, and still he sang, And all his stanchless song, As something falling unaware, Fell out of the tall trees he sang among, 1856, Sydney Dobell, “Home, Wounded”, in England in Time of War, London: Smith, Elder & Co., page 105:
   • A stanchlesse hart, dead-wounded, euer bleeding, On whom that nere-fild vulture Loue sits feeding. 1594, Michael Drayton, Matilda, London: Nicholas Ling and John Busby:
2. (figuratively, obsolete) Incapable of being satisfied.
   • This loosness to their spoyle the Troians did allure, Who fiercely them assail’d: where stanchlesse furie rap’t The Grecians in so fast, that scarcely one escap’t: 1612, Michael Drayton, “Song 1”, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great Britaine, […], London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for M[athew] Lownes; I[ohn] Browne; I[ohn] Helme; I[ohn] Busbie, →OCLC, page 9:
   • With this there grows In my most ill-composed affection such A stanchless avarice that, were I king, I should cut off the nobles for their lands, c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

Forms

Synonyms

insatiable (incapable of being satisfied) · unquenchable (incapable of being satisfied) · unstaunchable (incapable of being stanched)