staunch¹ / stônch; stänch/ • adj. 1. loyal and committed in attitude: a staunch supporter of the antinuclear lobby a staunch Catholic.2. (of a wall) of strong or firm construction. ∎  (also stanch) archaic (of a ship) watertight.DERIVATIVES: staunch·ly adv.staunch·ness n.staunch² • v. variant spelling of stanch¹ .

staunch2, stanch2, watertight; strong, firm XV; (of a sporting dog) reliable XVI; standing firm XVII. — OF. estanche, fem. of estanc, used as m. XIV (mod. étanche); see STANCH1.