Word Study
char
CIDE DICTIONARY
char, n. [Ir. cear, Gael. ceara, lit., red, blood-colored, fr. cear blood. So named from its red belly.].
One of the several species of fishes of the genus Salvelinus , allied to the spotted trout and salmon, inhabiting deep lakes in mountainous regions in Europe. In the United States, the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis ) is sometimes called a char. [1913 Webster]
char, n. [F.].
A car; a chariot. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
char, n. [OE. cherr, char a turning, time, work, AS. cerr, cyrr, turn, occasion, business, fr. cerran, cyrran, to turn; akin to OS. kërian, OHG. chëran, G. kehren. Cf. Chore, Ajar.].
Work done by the day; a single job, or task; a chore. [1913 Webster]
"When thou hast done this chare, I give thee leave
To play till doomsday." [1913 Webster]
To play till doomsday." [1913 Webster]
char, v. t. [See 3d Char.].
- To perform; to do; to finish. Nores. [1913 Webster]"Thet char is chared, as the good wife said when she had hanged her husband." [1913 Webster]
- To work or hew, as stone. Oxf. Gloss. [1913 Webster]
char, v. i.
To work by the day, without being a regularly hired servant; to do small jobs. [1913 Webster]
char, v. t. [Prob. the same word as char to perform (see Char, n. ), the modern use coming from charcoal, prop. coal-turned, turned to coal.].
- To reduce to coal or carbon by exposure to heat; to reduce to charcoal; to burn to a cinder. [1913 Webster]
- To burn slightly or partially; as, to char wood. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
char, v.tr. & intr. (charred, charring)
1 make or become black by burning; scorch.
2 burn or be burnt to charcoal.
1 make or become black by burning; scorch.
2 burn or be burnt to charcoal.
char, n. & v. Brit. colloq.
--n. = CHARWOMAN.
--v.intr. (charred, charring) work as a charwoman.
--n. = CHARWOMAN.
--v.intr. (charred, charring) work as a charwoman.
char, n. (also cha) Brit. sl. tea.
char, n. (also charr) (pl. same) any small troutlike fish of the genus Salvelinus.
Etymology
17th c.: orig. unkn.
THESAURUS
char
blaze, blister, brand, burn, burn in, burn off, cast, cauterize, chare, charwoman, chore, cleaner, cleaner-off, cleaner-up, cleaning lady, cleaning man, cleaning woman, coal, crack, cupel, custodian, do chars, do the chores, flame, found, janitor, janitress, labor, oxidate, oxidize, parch, pyrolyze, scorch, sear, singe, solder, swinge, torrefy, turn a hand, vesicate, vulcanize, weld, workROGET THESAURUS
char
Calefaction
VB heat, warm, chafe, stive, foment, make hot, sun oneself, sunbathe, go up in flames, burn to the ground (flame), fire, set fire to, set on fire, kindle, enkindle, light, ignite, strike a light, apply the match to, apply the torch to, rekindle, relume, fan the flame, add fuel to the flame, poke the fire, stir the fire, blow the fire, make a bonfire of, melt, thaw, fuse, liquefy, burn, inflame, roast, toast, fry, grill, singe, parch, bake, torrefy, scorch, brand, cauterize, sear, burn in, corrode, char, calcine, incinerate, smelt, scorify, reduce to ashes, burn to a cinder, commit to the flames, consign to the flames, boil, digest, stew, cook, seethe, scald, parboil, simmer, do to rags, take fire, catch fire, blaze.For further exploring for "char" in Webster Dictionary Online