'starch-based' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the noun 'starch' (from Old English 'stearc', originally meaning 'stiff') and the adjective/participle 'based' (from the noun 'base', ultimately from Latin 'basis' via Old French), where 'starch' referred to the starchy substance and 'base' meant 'having as a base or foundation'.

'starch' changed from Old English 'stearc' to Middle English forms such as 'starch', and later combined with the past-participle/adjectival use of 'base' (from Latin 'basis' through Old French) to form the compound adjective 'starch-based' in modern English.

Initially, 'starch' emphasized the idea of stiffness or a starchy substance and 'base' meant foundation; over time the compound came to mean simply 'having starch as the primary base or ingredient' and is used to describe products made from or dependent on starch.