Staunch & Stanch

staunch







Y

D



–verb (used with object), verb (used without object), noun

–adjective  

1. firm or steadfast in principle, adherence, loyalty, etc., as a person: a staunch Republican; a staunch friend. 

2. characterized by firmness, steadfastness, or loyalty: He delivered a staunch defense of the government. 

3. strong; substantial: a staunch little hut in the woods. 

4. impervious to water or other liquids; watertight: a staunch vessel.  



Also, stanch.





C



stanch, staunch (adj., v.) 

   

Both the verb, meaning “to stop the flow of blood or another liquid,” and the adjective, meaning “watertight, leakproof, sound” and, figuratively, “steadfast, strong,” come from the same medieval French root, the verb estancer (or estanchier). 



Our English verb is usually spelled stanch, but staunch also appears frequently in Edited English; the adjective is nearly always spelled staunch, although stanch does occur. 



Stanch may be pronounced STAHNCH, STAWNCH, or (especially as a verb) STANCH. Staunch usually is said either STAWNCH or STAHNCH.





　

The crux of the film is the staunchly Catholic More's refusal to acknowledge King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw)'s break from the church to divorce his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn (an unbilled Vanessa Redgrave). Sir Thomas willingly goes to the chopping block rather than sacrifice his ideals.



Director Fred Zinnemann retains the play's verbosity without sacrificing the film's strong sense of visuals. The impeccably chosen cast includes Wendy Hiller as Sir Thomas' likably contentious wife Alice, 



John Hurt as the deceitful Richard Rich (More's put-downs of this despicable character provide some of the film's biggest laughs), Orson Welles as a dour Cardinal Woolsey, Leo McKern as the ambitious Thomas Cromwell, and Susannah York as More's daughter Margaret.





invincible

cannot be conquered in combat or any manner

an invincible [army] [courage]

impregnable

a place cannot be taken, proof against attack, 銅牆鐵壁是也

an impregnable [fortress] [virtue] 

indomitable

unyielding spirit, or stubborn persistence, 不屈不撓是也 

indomitable [will].

no suffering is so dire that it cannot be [endured] and then [erased], to be [replaced]—in Rachel’s case—with an indomitable [smile]. 



pertinacious

importunate

importunate [demands] from the children for attention. 

and as he thereafter gravely turns aside the [importunities] of his mistress, a [drab] teacher

restive

a restive [horse].  

Boyle has always been a [restive] director

Nubile