Charred
/tʃɑːrd/noun
Burned until the surface is blackened or partially reduced to charcoal.
Did you know?The word is tied to the same ancient root behind words for charcoal and carbon, linking everyday fire damage to one of humanity’s oldest controlled transformations.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“to burn, heat”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kairaz / *karaz
“charcoal, ember, something burned”
Old English
OE
cerr / cearr
“charcoal; charred matter”
Middle English
ME
char
“to burn wood partially to carbon”
Modern English
English
charred
“burned and blackened by fire”
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