char1

[chahr] /tʃɑr/
verb (used with object), charred, charring.
1.
to burn or reduce to charcoal:
The fire charred the paper.
2.
to burn slightly; scorch:
The flame charred the steak.
verb (used without object), charred, charring.
3.
to become charred.
noun
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.
Origin
1670-80; apparently extracted from charcoal; see chark
Synonyms
2. singe, sear.

char2

[chahr] /tʃɑr/
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.
Origin
1655-65; perhaps Old English *ceorra literally, turner, derivative of ceorran to turn, it being thought of as swimming to and fro time and again; see char3

char3

[chahr] /tʃɑr/
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, charring.
4.
to work at housecleaning by the day or hour; hire oneself out to do odd jobs.
verb (used with object), charred, charring.
5.
to do (housework, odd jobs, or chores); clean or repair.
Also, chare.
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English, Old English cerr, cierr turn, time, occasion, affair, derivative of cierran to turn

char4

[chahr] /tʃɑr/
noun, British Informal.
1.
tea.
Origin
1915-20; < Hindi cā tea; for spelling with r cf. arvo, parcheesi

Char

[shar] /ʃar/
noun
1.
René [ruh-ney] /rəˈneɪ/ (Show IPA), 1907–1988, French poet.

char.

1.
character.
2.
charter.
Examples from the web for char
  • How would oil and coal derived char be safe to put in my farm's soils, and who would pay me for it.
  • The refinery would light up a great big cross in the windows of the char house.
  • It is triple-smoked, which gives a haunting char to its flavor and results in a moist, lush texture.
  • char-grilled, pan-fried, fried and sauteed shellfish and fish dominate this upscale restaurant's menu.
  • The added dimension of grilling provides a brilliant smoky char that takes this dish to new levels.
  • It's all too easy to char beans in the name of sophistication.
  • After one and a half minutes, pull out the pizza to see if the unsauced rim has begun to char lightly.
  • Today, though, she orders sliced tomatoes with vinaigrette and char-grilled chicken over shoestring potatoes.
  • The char is remarkably similar to modern coal fly ash, which can create toxic aquatic conditions when released as slurries.
British Dictionary definitions for char

char1

/tʃɑː/
verb chars, charring, charred
1.
to burn or be burned partially, esp so as to blacken the surface; scorch
2.
(transitive) to reduce (wood) to charcoal by partial combustion
Word Origin
C17: short for charcoal

char2

/tʃɑː/
noun (pl) char, chars, charr, charrs
1.
any of various troutlike fishes of the genus Salvelinus, esp S. alpinus, occurring in cold lakes and northern seas: family Salmonidae (salmon)
Word Origin
C17: of unknown origin

char3

/tʃɑː/
noun
1.
(informal) short for charwoman
verb chars, charring, charred
2.
(Brit, informal) to do housework, cleaning, etc, as a job
Word Origin
C18: from Old English cerr

char4

/tʃɑː/
noun
1.
(Brit) a slang word for tea
Word Origin
from Chinese ch'a
Word Origin and History for char
v.

"to reduce to charcoal," 1670s, probably a back-formation from charcoal (q.v.). Related: Charred; charring.

char in Technology

programming
/keir/ or /char/; rarely, /kar/ character. Especially used by C programmers, as "char" is C's typename for character data.
[Jargon File]
(1994-11-29)

Related Abbreviations for char

char.

  1. character
  2. characteristic
  3. charity
  4. charter