char

¹

[ chahr ]

verb (used with object)

, charred, char·ring.

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

verb (used without object)

, charred, char·ring.

1. to become charred.

noun

1. a charred material or surface.
2. charcoal ( def 1 ).
3. a superior carbon-rich fuel, a by-product of the conversion of coal into gaseous or liquid fuel.

char

²

or charr

[ chahr ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) char, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) chars.

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

char

³

[ chahr ]

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.

verb (used without object)

, charred, char·ring.

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

verb (used with object)

, charred, char·ring.

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

char

⁴

[ chahr ]

noun

, British Informal.

1. tea.

Char

⁵

[ shar ]

noun

1. Re·né [r, uh, -, ney], 1907–1988, French poet.

char.

⁶

abbreviation for

1. character.
2. charter.

char

¹

/ 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)

char

²

/ 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

char

³

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. See tea
   a slang word for tea

char

⁴

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. See charwoman
   informal.
   short for charwoman

verb

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

Word History and Origins

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of char¹

C17: of unknown origin

Origin of char²

C17: short for charcoal

Origin of char³

from Chinese ch'a

Origin of char⁴

C18: from Old English cerr

Example Sentences

A nice char on the vegetables will get deeper flavor in your stock.

From Washington Post

For a moment, things appear to be going well … and then Walker reaches into his bag and chars your ankles as Williams flips the screen and creates a wide open free-throw-line jumper.

From FiveThirtyEight

My last bar was a place in Brooklyn called Char No 4, which is known for being a strong whisky bar.

From The Daily Beast

Also, make sure to try their cheeseburger, which “forever raised the bar on what a classic char-burger can taste like.”

From The Daily Beast

The arctic char eyeball, on the other hand, which I had the day after—a raw eyeball is a whole other matter.

From The Daily Beast

For the adventurous, try the reindeer or puffin; for those feeling fishy, go for arctic char or the array of sushi.

From The Daily Beast

These cigars rarely "char" in burning; certainly not, if made of good quality of tobacco and thoroughly sweat.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a passion to her kiss that he had never felt before, a rising tide of flame that threatened to char him.

From Project Gutenberg

The party finally mounted the char-a-bancs, just as I was about to offer the baby for twenty-five pounds, and dirt cheap at that.

From Project Gutenberg

She stared, surprised; but Char still kept the door until his master showed himself in the lighted aperture.

From Project Gutenberg

Later Char went off in the car again, though it poured with rain, and was gone until late at night.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• burn