'starch-degrading' originates from modern English, combining 'starch' and the present participle 'degrading'. 'starch' originated from Old English 'stearc', where 'stearc' meant 'stiff'; 'degrade' originated from Latin 'degradare' (from 'de-' + 'gradus'), where 'de-' meant 'down' and 'gradus' meant 'step'.

'starch' changed from Old English 'stearc' to Middle English 'starch' and eventually became the modern English word 'starch'. 'degrade' passed from Latin 'degradare' through Old French 'degrader' into English as 'degrade', and the compound 'starch-degrading' was formed in modern English by combining 'starch' and the present participle 'degrading'.

Initially, 'starch' meant 'stiff' or 'rigid' (reflecting the stiffening property of starch on cloth), and over time it evolved to denote the carbohydrate substance 'starch'. 'Degrade' originally meant 'to reduce in rank or status' and later acquired senses of 'break down' (including chemical or biological breakdown), which is the sense used in 'starch-degrading'.