char 1
/chahr/ , v. , charred, charring , n.
v.t.
1. to burn or reduce to charcoal: The fire charred the paper.
2. to burn slightly; scorch: The flame charred the steak.
v.i.
3. to become charred.
n.
4. a charred material or surface.
5. charcoal.
6. a superior carbon-rich fuel, a by-product of the conversion of coal into gaseous or liquid fuel.
[ 1670-80; appar. extracted from CHARCOAL; see CHARK ]
Syn. 2. singe, sear.
char 2
/chahr/ , n. , pl. ( esp. collectively ) char , ( esp. referring to two or more kinds or species ) chars .
any trout of the genus Salvelinus (or Cristovomer ), esp. the Arctic char.
[ 1655-65; perh. OE * ceorra lit., turner, deriv. of ceorran to turn, it being thought of as swimming to and fro time and again; see CHAR 3 ]
char 3
/chahr/ , n. , v. , charred, charring . Chiefly Brit.
n.
1. a charwoman.
2. a task, esp. a household chore.
3. chars , odd jobs, esp. of housework, for which one is paid by the hour or day.
v.i.
4. to work at housecleaning by the day or hour; hire oneself out to do odd jobs.
v.t.
5. to do (housework, odd jobs, or chores); clean or repair.
Also, chare .
[ 1375-1425; late ME, OE cerr, cierr turn, time, occasion, affair, deriv. of cierran to turn ]
char 4
/chahr/ , n. Brit. Informal.
tea.
[ 1915-20; ca TEA; for sp. with r cf. ARVO, PARCHEESI ]