BLANCARD
Blan"card, n. Etym: [F., fr. blanc white.]
Defn: A kind of linen cloth made in Normandy, the thread of which is partly blanches before it is woven.
BLANCH
Blanch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanched; p. pr. & vb. n. Blanching.]
Etym: [OE. blanchen, blaunchen, F. blanchir, fr. blanc white. See
Blank, a.]
1. To take the color out of, and make white; to bleach; as, to blanch linen; age has blanched his hair.
2. (Gardening)
Defn: To bleach by excluding the light, as the stalks or leaves of plants, by earthing them up or tying them together.
3. (Confectionery & Cookery) (a) To make white by removing the skin of, as by scalding; as, to blanch almonds. (b) To whiten, as the surface of meat, by plunging into boiling water and afterwards into cold, so as to harden the surface and retain the juices.
4. To give a white luster to (silver, before stamping, in the process of coining.).
5. To cover (sheet iron) with a coating of tin.
6. Fig.: To whiten; to give a favorable appearance to; to whitewash; to palliate. Blanch over the blackest and most absurd things. Tillotson.