Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Char?

\Char\, Charr \Charr\, n. [Ir. cear, Gael. ceara, lit., red, blood-colored, fr. cear blood. So named from its red belly.] (Zo["o]l.) 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.
\Char\, n. [F.] A car; a chariot. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
\Char\, n. [OE. cherr, char a turning, time, work, AS. cerr, cyrr, turn, occasion, business, fr. cerran, cyrran, to turn; akin to OS. k["e]rian, OHG. ch["e]ran, G. kehren. Cf. {Chore}, {Ajar}.] Work done by the day; a single job, or task; a chore. [Written also {chare}.] [Eng.] When thou hast done this chare, I give thee leave To play till doomsday. --Shak.
\Char\, Chare \Chare\, v. t. [See 3d {Char}.] 1. To perform; to do; to finish. [Obs.] --Nores. Thet char is chared, as the good wife said when she had hanged her husband. --Old Proverb. 2. To work or hew, as stone. --Oxf. Gloss.
\Char\, Chare \Chare\, v. i. To work by the day, without being a regularly hired servant; to do small jobs.
\Char\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Charred}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Charring}.] [Prob. the same word as char to perform (see {Char}, n.), the modern use coming from charcoal, prop. coal-turned, turned to coal.] 1. To reduce to coal or carbon by exposure to heat; to reduce to charcoal; to burn to a cinder. 2. To burn slightly or partially; as, to char wood.