jar

[jahr]

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noun

a broad-mouthed container, usually cylindrical and of glass or earthenware: a cookie jar.

the quantity such a container can or does hold.

Origin of jar

1585–95; < Middle French jarre < Old Provençal jarra < Arabic jarrah earthen water vessel

Related formsjar·less, adjective

jar

[jahr]

verb (used without object), jarred, jar·ring.

to have a harshly unpleasant or perturbing effect on one's nerves, feelings, thoughts, etc.: The sound of the alarm jarred.

to produce a harsh, grating sound; sound discordantly.

to vibrate audibly; rattle: The window jarred in the frame.

to vibrate or shake.

to conflict, clash, or disagree.

verb (used with object), jarred, jar·ring.

to cause to rattle or shake.

to have a sudden and unpleasant effect upon (the feelings, nerves, etc.): The burglary violently jarred their sense of security.

to cause to sound harshly or discordantly.

noun

a jolt or shake; a vibrating movement, as from concussion.

a sudden unpleasant effect upon the mind or feelings; shock.

a harsh, grating sound.

a discordant sound or combination of sounds.

a quarrel or disagreement, especially a minor one.

Origin of jar

1520–30; probably imitative; cf. chirr

Related formsjar·ring·ly, adverbun·jarred, adjectiveun·jar·ring, adjective

jar

[jahr]

noun

Archaic. a turn or turning.

Idioms

on the jar, partly opened; ajar: The window was on the jar.

Origin of jar

1665–75; variant of char³; cf. ajar²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for jar

jug, flask, urn, vase, can, bottle, vessel, basin, pot, rattle, offend, disturb, irritate, annoy, irk, beaker, crock, decanter, pitcher, flagon

Examples from the Web for jar

Contemporary Examples of jar

[Laughs] I am definitely NOT playing anything like Jar Jar Binks!
Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and Revolutionizing Cinema
Marlow Stern
July 8, 2014
It held aspirin, Sal Hepatica, cigarette papers and a Mason jar full of tobacco.
Stanley Booth on the Life and Hard Times of Blues Genius Furry Lewis
Stanley Booth
June 7, 2014
Olivia: At home, I found myself staring at a jar of snake venom skin product.
We Were Gwyneth’s GOOP Guinea Pigs
Erin Cunningham, Olivia Nuzzi
March 30, 2014
It was inspired by the short story “Mermaid in a Jar” by writer Sheila Heti, who spoke with Simmons for Interview magazine.
A Doll’s Life: Laurie Simmons Explores Kigurumi
Ann Binlot
March 10, 2014
At the Met, jewels by JAR may be tacky junk, but they tell us about ourselves.
Liberace Would Have Balked
Blake Gopnik
January 22, 2014

Historical Examples of jar

Therefore, proceed to place the rubber and cover on the jar.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
He recalled his condescending tone to her, and recollected his anxiety about the jar.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
The khan asserted his loyalty and that of his neighbour the Khan of Jar.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
By the 19th all were given up, and on the 20th the troops moved back to Jar.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
He had opened a jar of blackberry jam, and was just going for it with both hands.
The Little Colonel
Annie Fellows Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for jar

jar

noun

a wide-mouthed container that is usually cylindrical, made of glass or earthenware, and without handles

Also: jarful the contents or quantity contained in a jar

British informal a glass of alcoholic drink, esp beerto have a jar with someone

obsolete a measure of electrical capacitance

Word Origin for jar

C16: from Old French jarre, from Old Provençal jarra, from Arabic jarrah large earthen vessel

jar

verb jars, jarring or jarred

to vibrate or cause to vibrate

to make or cause to make a harsh discordant sound

(often foll by on) to have a disturbing or painful effect (on the nerves, mind, etc)

(intr) to disagree; clash

noun

a jolt or shock

a harsh discordant sound

Derived Formsjarring, adjectivejarringly, adverb

Word Origin for jar

C16: probably of imitative origin; compare Old English cearran to creak

jar

noun

on a jar or on the jar (of a door) slightly open; ajar

Word Origin for jar

C17 (in the sense: turn): from earlier char, from Old English cierran to turn; see ajar 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jar

1520s, "to make a harsh, grating sound," usually said to be echoic or imitative, but no one explains how, or of what. Figurative sense of "have an unpleasant effect on" is from 1530s; that of "cause to vibrate or shake" is from 1560s. Related: Jarred; jarring.

"cylindrical vessel," early 15c., possibly from Middle French jarre "liquid measure" (smaller than a barrel), 12c., from Provençal jarra, from Arabic jarrah "earthen water vessel" (whence also Spanish jarra, Italian giarra) [Klein].