Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chary” come from?

Chary comes from Middle English chary, from Old English ċierr, from Proto-Germanic karzijaną, from Proto-Indo-European gers-, meaning to turn or twist.

chary (English): Careful, cautious, shy, wary; Excessively...

Definitions

  1. Careful, cautious, shy, wary; Excessively...

Ancestry of “chary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchari—
2Old Englishċeariġsorrowful; careful; pensive; chary, wary;...

Words derived from “chary”

  • charily
  • chariness
  • unchary
Every word from Old English ċeariġ →