"staunch" in the verb sense
1. stem, stanch, staunch, halt
stop the flow of a liquid
"staunch the blood flow"
"stem the tide"
"staunch" in the adjective sense
1. steadfast, staunch, unswerving
firm and dependable especially in loyalty
"a steadfast ally"
"a staunch defender of free speech"
"unswerving devotion"
"unswerving allegiance"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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