'starch-free' originates from modern English, formed by combining the noun 'starch' and the adjective 'free', where 'starch' refers to the carbohydrate substance and 'free' meant 'without' or 'not having'.

'starch' comes from Old English 'stearc' (also seen as Middle English 'sterche'/'starch'), originally related to the idea of 'stiffness' and later used for the substance that stiffens; 'free' comes from Old English 'frēo' meaning 'not under the control of, exempt', and the compound 'starch-free' was formed in modern English by juxtaposing these elements.

Individually, 'starch' originally carried senses related to 'stiffness' before becoming the name of the carbohydrate; 'free' originally meant 'not bound' or 'exempt'. Over time the compound 'starch-free' came to mean simply 'without starch' in reference to foods or materials.