jar

jar · noun, verb¹

1. Arabic · derived fromجَرَّة“earthen receptacle”
2. Spanish · derived fromjarra
3. Old French · derived fromjare
4. Middle French · derived fromjarre“liquid measure”
5. Medieval Latin · derived fromjarra
6. Middle English · inherited fromjarre“jar”
7. English todayjar

Inherited from Middle English jarre (“jar”), from Medieval Latin jarra, or from Middle French jarre (“liquid measure”) (from Old French jare; modern French jarre (“earthenware jar”)), or from Spanish jarra, jarro (“jug, pitcher; mug, stein”), all from Arabic جَرَّة (jarra, “earthen receptacle”). The word is cognate with Italian giara (“jar; crock”), Occitan jarro, Portuguese jarra, jarro (“jug; ewer, pitcher”). The verb is derived from the noun.

jar · noun, verb²

1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*karēn“to complain”
2. Old English · inherited fromċeorian“to murmur, gripe, complain with just cause”
3. Middle English · inherited from*chirren
4. English todayjar

From earlier jar, jur, jarre, jurre, of uncertain origin. Possibly from earlier *char, *chur, *charre, *churre (now spelt chirr, churr (“to make a sound”); compare also nightjar and its variant nightchurr), from Middle English *chirren, *cherren, *churren (“to sound, cry, murmur, complain”), from Old English ċeorian (“to murmur, gripe, complain with just cause”), from Proto-West Germanic *karēn (“to complain”). For the change of ch to j, compare also charm, jarm (“chirping”); achar, ajar (“slightly turned or open”), chaw, jaw, etc. The noun is derived from the verb.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from late 16th c. An earthenware container, either with two or no handles, for holding oil, water, wine, etc., or used for burial.