char

char¹

/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.

char²

/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 CHAR³]

char³

/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]

char⁴

/chahr/, n. Brit. Informal.

tea.

[1915-20; < Hindi ca TEA; for sp. with r cf. ARVO, PARCHEESI]

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Any of several freshwater food and game fishes (genus Salvelinus) of the salmon family, distinguished from the similar trout by light, rather than black, spots; by a boat-shaped, rather than flat, vomer (bone) on the roof of the mouth; and by having teeth on the front of the vomer rather than on the shaft.

Char often have smaller scales than their relatives. The Arctic char, of North America and Europe, inhabits the Arctic and adjacent oceans and enters rivers and lakes to breed. It may weigh 15 lbs (7 kg) or more. The brook trout, Dolly Varden trout, and lake trout are native North American char.

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▪ fish

 (Salvelinus), any of several freshwater food and game fishes distinguished from the similar trout by light, rather than black, spots and by a boat-shaped bone (vomer) that is toothed only in front, on the roof of the mouth. Chars are of the trout and salmon family, Salmonidae, and often have smaller scales than their relatives.

      The Arctic char (S. alpinus), of North America and Europe, inhabits the Arctic and adjacent oceans and enters rivers and lakes to breed. Some populations are restricted to freshwater lakes, which they colonized in glacial times. Like the other chars, the Arctic char is a good food and sport fish. It may weigh 6.8 kg (15 pounds) or more. The brook trout, Dolly Varden trout, and lake trout (qq.v.) are native North American chars.

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