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char¹

(chär)

v. charred, char·ring, chars

v.tr.

1. To burn the surface of; scorch.

2. To reduce to carbon or charcoal by incomplete combustion. See Synonyms at burn¹.

v.intr.

1. To become scorched.

2. To become reduced to carbon or charcoal.

A substance that has been scorched, burned, or reduced to charcoal.

[Back-formation from CHARCOAL.]

char² also charr

(chär)

n. pl. char or chars also charr or charrs

Any of several salmonid fishes of the genus Salvelinus, usually having a dark body with light spots, and including the arctic char, the brook trout, and the lake trout.

[Origin unknown.]

char³

(chär) Chiefly British

A charwoman.

intr.v. charred, char·ring, chars

To work as a charwoman.

[Middle English, a piece of work, from Old English cierr, a turning.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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