7 letters · 12 points in Scrabble
verb stop the flow of a liquid
adjective firm and dependable especially in loyalty
originFrom Middle English staunch, staunche (“(adjective) in good condition or repair; solidly made, firm; watertight; of a person or wound: not bleeding; certain; intact; (adverb) firmly, soundly”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman estaunche, Old French estanche (“firm; watertight”) (modern French étanche (“airtight; watertight”)), a variant of estanc (“a pond”), from estanchier (“to stop the flow…
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0