▪ I. chare, char, n.1
(tʃɛə(r), tʃɑː(r))
Forms: 1 cierr, cirr, cerr, cyrr, 2–4 cherre, 3 chærre, chearre, 3–4 chere, 4–5 charre, 6–7 chair, (7 chaer, chewre, charr), 5– chare, 3– char; see also the variant chore.
[OE. cęrr, cięrr, cyrr, masc. i- stem:—O.Teut. type *karri-z or *karzi-z: cf. chare v.1
(Often identified with OHG. chêr, MHG. kêr, Ger. kehr, MDu. kêr, Du. keer, masc.; besides which there is OHG. chêra, MHG. kêre, Ger. kehre, MDu. and MLG. kêre, LG. kêr str. fem.; but these represent OTeut. types *kairi-z-oz or kaizi-z, oz, and *kairâ or *kaizâ, the vowel of which has no connexion with that of the OE. word. No forms cognate to either are known outside Teutonic.)
In modern English the ordinary form of the word from the 13th c. onwards was char: but sense 5 is now usually chare; char, chore, chewre, are dialectal; chore also in U.S. On the other hand the compound, which in the 17th and 18th c. was so commonly charewoman, chairwoman, is now charwoman.]
I. Obsolete senses: usually cher, char.
† 1. The return or coming round again of a time; hence gen. turn, occasion, time. Obs.
(The literal sense 2 is not cited in OE.)
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxii. 32 æt sumum cyrre [Lindisf. hwile ᵹicerred] ᵹewend andtryme þine ᵹebroðru. c 1000 ælfric Gen. xxxviii. 18 æt þam cyrre heo wearð mid cilde. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 214 ærest þry..æt þam feorþan cyrre niᵹon. c 1205 Lay. 6844 Makeden hine þridde chærre king. c 1230 Hali Meid. 23 At an chere. c 1320 Sir Beues 3461 Allas! that ilche cherre Hii wente fro hire alto ferre. |
† 2. A turning or movement back, return, retreat; fig. (in after-char, again-char) repentance. Obs.
| c 1220 Bestiary 643 Ðanne he makeð ðer-to char. a 1300 Cursor M. 21922 Qua-sum be-for will noght be-warr, He sal find þan nan efter-char. c 1300 in Wright Lyric P. xiv. 46 To late cometh the ȝeyn-char. c 1450 Lonelich Graal lii. 617 So sore to-gederis they mette..there was non geyn char. |
† b. on char: on the turn, in the act of shutting; ajar.
| 1500–20 Dunbar Done is a battell, &c. 11 The auld kene tegir, with his teeth on char. a 1510 Douglas K. Hart xlvi, The dure on chare it stude. 1513 ― æneis iii. vi. 177 Quhill percace The pipand wynd blaw up the dur on char. |
† 3. A turn or movement generally. Obs.
| c 1325 Body & Soul 157 (Mätz.) Bote as tou bere me aboute, ne miȝt I do the leste char. c 1340 Cursor M. 5172 (Trin.) [Abraham] drowȝe his swerde priuely Þat þe childe were nat war Ar he had done þat char. |
† 4. A turn or stroke of work; an action, deed; a piece of work or business. Obs.
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. iv. 36 Menn þe bið abisᵹod..mid oðrum cierrum [v.r. cirrum]. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 137 Sulche monne þe him deð..wiken and cherres. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8801 Sleyght & connyng doþ many a chare. c 1450 Bk. Curtasye 96 in Babees Bk. (1868) 302 While þou holdes mete in mouthe, be war To drynke, þat is vnhonest char. 1570 [see chare v.1 4]. 1602 Warner Alb. Eng. xii. lxxiv. (1612) 306 This Chaer thus chaerd..returnes he backe. c 1622 Fletcher Love's Cure iii. ii, Here's two chewres chewr'd. 1680 News fr. Country in Roxb. Ball. (1881) IV. 201 How pure a Charr had it been then, they not one, to ten times Ten. |
II. Extant sense: now usually chore.
5. esp. An occasional turn of work, an odd job, esp. of household work; hence in pl. the household work of a domestic servant.
| c 1325 Pol. Songs 341 Unnethe wolde eny don a char. c 1410 Love Bonavent. Mirr. xiii. 32 (Gibbs MS.) Makyng þe beddes and suche oþer chares. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iv. xv. 75 The Maid that Milkes, And doe's the meanest chares. 1608–11 Bp. Hall Medit. & Vows iii. (1614) 74 Many weare Gods cloth..that never did good chare in his service. 1679 Hist. Jetzer 2 Cleft out Wood, carryed Stones, and did other odd Chairs. 1832–4 De Quincey Cæsars Wks. IX. 69 The peasant who does the humblest chares. 1866 Daily Tel. 30 Jan. 5/2 The mother will be grey, and ‘past chares’. 1881 M. E. Braddon Asph. III. 321 Not less monotonous than the humblest chars. 1881 Huxley Sc. & Cult. ii. 34 Mere handicrafts and chares. |
6. Comb., in sense 5, as chare-work. See also char-.
| 1613 Heywood Brazen Age ii. ii. Wks. 1874 III. 240 Woman..spinnes, Cards, and doth *chare-worke. |
▪ II. chare, n.2
(tʃɛə(r))
Forms: 3 chihera, 4 chere, 5– chare; also 6 chayer, 8 chair.
[? The same as chare turning; cf. Sc. wynd.]
Local name for a narrow lane, alley, or wynd, in Newcastle and some neighbouring towns; also for some country lanes and field tracks, e.g. the three which converge at Chare ends, by the landing-place on Holy Island.
| 12.. Carta Will. de Glanavilla in Surtees Hist. Durham (Gateshead) Poters-chihera. a 1400 Ibid. Waldeschere. 1430 Inquest on death of R. Thornton, ibid., Pylot-chare. 1596 Wills & Inv. N.C. (1835) I. 263 In the lowe seller, in Chapmane chayer. 1707 Lond. Gaz. No. 4293/3 A Large Dwelling-House in the Broad Chair in Newcastle upon Tyne..will be sold. 1772 Pennant Tour Scotl. (1790) III. 305 The lower streets and chares or alleys are extremely narrow. 1862 Smiles Engineers III. 411 The queer chares and closes, the wynds and lanes of Newcastle. |
▪ III. chare, n.3
chariot, car: see char n.2
▪ IV. † chare, n.4 Obs.
[a. OF. char (mod.F. chair):—L. carn-em flesh.]
1. Flesh, meat. (Only in French names of dishes.)
| c 1450 Courses of a Meal in Q. Eliz. Acad. 92 Graunte chare. 1461–83 Liber Niger Edw. IV, in Househ. Ord. (1790) 30 For his yoman..he taketh dayly, one payne, one messe gros chare [elsewhere ‘gret flessh’, ‘great meat’]. |
2. ‘Flesh’ or pulp of fruit, as in the following:
† chare de quince. Obs. Also 5 chardecoynes, -qweyns, charequynses, 6 chardequynce. [F. *chair de coings (OF. cooins) pulp of quinces: see ] A preserve made of the pulp of quinces.
| c 1440 Douce MS. 55 fol. 28 b, In maner as men seth chare de quincys. c 1440 Anc. Cookery in Househ. Ord. (1790) 455 A halfe pounde of chardecoynes. 1452 Marg. Paston Lett. 182 I. 245, I pray yow that ye wol send me a booke wyth chardeqweyns that I may have of in the monynggs, for the eyeres be nat holsom in this town. 1469 Househ. Ord. (1790) 95 Empty pottes of grene gynger, bagges, bookes of charequynses, boxes of comfettes. Ibid. 103 Charequynses, 10lb. the boke, vs.—2l. 10s. 1513 Bk. Keruynge in Babees Bk. (1868) 266 Loke ye haue in all seasons butter, chese, apples, peres, nottes..compost, grene gynger and chardequynce. |
† chare de wardon. Obs. A preserve made of the pulp of Warden pears.
| a 1422 Dinner to Hen. V, in Q. Eliz. Acad. 91. c 1425 15th c. Cookery Bk. (Harl. MS. 279) §34 Chardewardon.—Take Pere Wardonys, sethe hem in Wyne or in fayre Water. |
▪ V. chare, n.5
obs. f. char n.3 a fish.
▪ VI. † chare, a. Obs.
[App. shortened from chary: ? influenced by chere, F. cher dear.]
1. = chary; careful.
| 1564 Brief Exam., As the prudent and chare ouerseers iudge. 1565 Golding Ovid's Met. xiv. (1593) 336 My forrest Ide, of which I am most chare. 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1339/1 Chare defense of faithful league. |
2. Dear. Cf. chary 3, chere.
| 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. xxiii. 134 He sheweth howe deare and chare our soulehealth is vnto him. |
▪ VII. chare, char, v.
(tʃɛə(r), tʃɑː(r))
Forms: 1 ciérran, cerran, cyrran, 2 cherre, 2–4 cher, 3 churre, chearre, 3–4 chere, 4 charre, 4–6 charr, 7 (chaer, chewre), 3– chare, 4– char.
[OE. cęrran (Vesp. Ps.) W.S. cięrran, cyrran:—OTeut. type *karrjan or *karzjan, f. *karri- *karzi, OE. cęrre, chare n.1 Senses 4 and 5 are perhaps newly formed on the n.
(Often identified with OHG. chêran, chêrran (:—chêrjan) MHG. kêren, Ger. kehren, OLG. kêrjan (kêrôn), MDu. kêren, Du. keeren OFris. kêra, with the same signification. But these represent an OTeut. *kairjan or *kaizjan, the vocalism of which is entirely different. Cf. chare n.1).
The modern form is generally char; chore and chewre are dial.]
† 1. trans. To turn; esp. to turn aside or away (also with by); to lead aside; to drive away. Obs.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. cxiii.[iv] 8 He..clifu cyrreð on cwicu swylce wæteres wellan. a 1240 Lofsong in Cott. Hom. 215 And cher me from sunne. c 1325 Metr. Hom. (1862) 52 Satenas our wai will charre. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 850 Þe lorde hym charred to a chambre. a 1400 Cov. Myst. (1841) 325 And chare awey the crowe. 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. i. xix, And stand on rowme quhair better folk bene charrit. 1513 ― æneis ii. v. (iv) 43 As ane bull..charris by the aix with his nek wyght. 1674 Ray N.C. Wds. 10 Chare, to stop: as char the Cow, i.e. Stop or turn her. [So 1721 in Bailey.] |
† b. Inverted constr. (= ‘to turn the rain from her’.) Obs. rare.
| a 1500 Prose Leg. in Anglia VIII. 142 She hadde no cloþes to chare hir fro þe rayne. |
† 2. refl. in sense of next. Obs.
| c 1000 Cædmon's Satan 698 (Gr.) Cer ðe on bæcling. c 1205 Lay. 21266 Þis isæh Childric, & gon him to charren. [c 1400 Destr. Troy 8643 Achilles for the chop cherit hym not litle, Braid out of batell, bound vp his wounde.] |
† 3. intr. To turn; esp. to turn away or aside, depart; to turn back, return. Obs. Cf. again-chare in again- 2.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. lxix. [lxx.] 3 Hi on hinderlincg..cyrrað. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 79 Hwan ic aȝen cherre. c 1205 Lay. 29495 And charde aȝein sone eft into Rome. a 1225 Juliana 33 Te þreo children þe chearre nalden from þe lahen. a 1250 Prov. ælfred 85 in O.E. Misc. 106 Eueruyches monnes dom to his owere dure churreþ. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2390 Or ic of werlde chare. c 1375 ? Barbour St. Theodera 121 Scho..as scho mycht, did turne & chare. |
† b. To turn from one bodily state, belief, etc., to another. Obs.
| a 1225 Leg. Kath. 2260 Chear ananriht, þæt te oðre chearren þurh þe. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 15730 Þe ffeuere agu ful sore hym hatte; But sone he chared [Wace Dont cil retorne] & wel swatte. |
4. trans. To do, accomplish (a turn of work). arch. or Obs.
| 1570 Marriage Wit & Sc. iv. iv. in Hazl. Dodsley II. 375 This char is char'd well. 1602 [see char n.1 4]. 1612 Fletcher Two Noble K. iii. ii. 21 All's chared when he is gone. c 1622 ― Love's Cure iii. ii, Here's two chewres chewr'd. 1816 Scott Bl. Dwarf vii, How now, ruffian, is thy job chared? |
5. intr. (Now usu. in form char.) To do odd turns or jobs, esp. of housework; to work in this way by the day, without continuous employment; hence trans. (colloq.) to do the cleaning work of (a house). Hence ˈcharing vbl. n.
| 1732 Acc. Workhouses (ed. 2) 95 If any person shall go a begging, or charing..they shall be sent to Bridewell. 1810 Coleridge Friend (1883) 230 Him, herself, and two little children, she had to maintain by washing and charing (note, I am ignorant whether there be any classical authority for this word, but I know no other word that expresses occasional day labour in the houses of others). 1826 Miss Mitford Village Ser. iii. (1863) 528 The identical lady of the mop, who occasionally chared at the house. 1837 Dickens Pickw. (1847) 273/1 ‘Betsy Martin..goes out charing and washing, by the day’. 1864 H. Kingsley in Macm. Mag. Dec. 144 Look at that girl's charing; why I never see anything like it, with the exception of Mrs. Chittle, who chared Park Villa at the end of a fortnight, nursing two. 1906 Daily Chron. 28 Aug. 8/5, I feel grateful to ‘My Charwoman’, for it is certain she knows her business—she can char. 1925 Contemp. Rev. July 86 The scene where Lummox ‘chars’ in an immoral house. |
▪ VIII. [chare v.
in Bailey, etc. misprint for chave q.v.]
▪ IX. chare
obs. form of chair.
▪ X. chare
= schare, cut, obs. pa. tense of shear v.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vi. xiii. 160 Before þe Burde..The Dukis Brede þis childe þan chare. |