Where does “char” come from?

Char comes from English char, derived from Chinese 茶, which traces to Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer-.

char (English): To burn something to charcoal; To burn slightly...

Definitions

  1. To burn something to charcoal; To burn slightly...

Ancestry of “char”, step by step

char traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English cha

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishchatea, sometimes specifically masala chai; You;...
2HindiचाAlternative form of चाय
3Persianچاtea
4Chinese茶tea
5Proto-Loloishla¹tea
6Proto-Sino-Tibetans-laleaf; tea; flat object

via Middle English cherre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcherreodd job, turn, occasion, business
2Old Englishċierra turn, change, time, occasion, affair, business
3Proto-Germanickarzijanąto turn, sweep
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵers-to turn, bend, twist; to twist; to plait things...

Words derived from “char”

Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la →