char

¹ American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

verb (used with object)

charred, charring

1. to burn or reduce to charcoal.

   The fire charred the paper.

2. to burn slightly; scorch.

   The flame charred the steak.

   Synonyms:

   sear, singe

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verb (used without object)

charred, charring

1. to become charred.

noun

1. a charred material or surface.

2. charcoal.

3. a superior carbon-rich fuel, a by-product of the conversion of coal into gaseous or liquid fuel.

char ² American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

Or charr

noun

plural

char,

plural

chars

1. any trout of the genus Salvelinus (orCristovomer ), especially the Arctic char.

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char ³ American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

noun

1. a charwoman.

2. a task, especially a household chore.

3. chars, odd jobs, especially of housework, for which one is paid by the hour or day.

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verb (used without object)

charred, charring

1. to work at housecleaning by the day or hour; hire oneself out to do odd jobs.

verb (used with object)

charred, charring

1. to do (housework, odd jobs, or chores); clean or repair.

char ⁴ American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

noun

British Informal.

1. tea.

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Char ⁵ American  

[shar] / ʃar /

noun

1. René 1907–1988, French poet.

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char. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. character.

2. charter.

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char ¹ British  

/ tʃɑː /

verb

1. to burn or be burned partially, esp so as to blacken the surface; scorch

2. (tr) to reduce (wood) to charcoal by partial combustion

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char ² British  

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. informal short for charwoman

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verb

1. informal to do housework, cleaning, etc, as a job

char ³ British  

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. any of various troutlike fishes of the genus Salvelinus, esp S. alpinus, occurring in cold lakes and northern seas: family Salmonidae (salmon)

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char ⁴ British  

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. a slang word for tea

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Etymology

Origin of char¹

First recorded in 1670–80; apparently extracted from charcoal; chark

Origin of char²

First recorded in 1655–65; perhaps unattested Old English ceorra literally, “turner,” derivative of ceorran “to turn,” it being thought of as swimming to and fro time and again; char ³

Origin of char³

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, Old English cerr, cierr “turn, time, occasion, affair,” derivative of cierran “to turn”

Origin of char⁴

First recorded in 1915–20; from Hindi cā “tea” ( tea ); for spelling with r arvo, Parcheesi ( def. )

Example Sentences

No one has been seriously injured, but large parts of the buildings were completely charred when BBC Bangla visited on Friday.

From BBC

Now there were charred trees, excavators and weeds sprouting from cracked foundations where multimillion-dollar homes once stood.

From Los Angeles Times

A grotesque, charred silhouette, reclining, with one knee raised, as if lounging on one of Marseille's nearby beaches.

From BBC

Each marked with a red dot on a grid of streets that have looked like a charred moonscape for 11 months.

From Los Angeles Times

Many of the towering sycamore trees and elder oaks — probably far older than even the adult Scout leaders — still blot out the midday sun with new, green leaves sprouting from their charred trunks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• burn