Obs. Also 3 (chiare), 3–6 chare, 4–5 chaar(e, 4–6 charre, 5 charr, 6 Sc. cher, 7–9 CHAIR sb.2 [a. F. char (12th c. in Littré):—L. carrus. But the form charre (and possibly chare in some quots.) was perh. a. OF. charre:—L. carra; see CAR sb.1]
1. A chariot, car; a cart, wagon.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 9162 (Cott.). Helias was … Translated in a golden chiare [other MSS. chare]. Ibid., 4657. To ride ai quar in kinges char [Fairf. chare].
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1292. About his chaar [so 3 MSS.; char–2, chare–2] ther wenten white alauntz.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., I. 957. When Phebus chare hath goon aboute it twye.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., ccxliv. 294. Al the horses drawyng the chare were trapped in blak.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 3. Uprisith arly in his fyre chare. Ibid., 734. Mony o strong chariot and cher.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. ccclxiii. 591. Sixe chares laded with … brede and wyne.
1677. Hobbes, Homer, 175. For all his flaming horses and his charre.
2. ? A cart-load. Char of lead (see quot.)
c. 1550. Sir J. Balfour, Practicks (1754), 87 (Jam.). For ane char of leid, that is to say, xxiiii fotinellis, iiiid.
1672. Cowel’s Interpr., Charre of Lead, consists of thirty pigs, each pig containing six stone wanting two pound, and every stone being twelve pound, Assisa de ponderibus, Rob. 3 R. Scot, cap. 22, sect. 2.
1708–21. Kersey, Charre of Lead (as in Cowel). (Erroneously made by Bailey, 1721, into Charge of Lead, which is copied into mod. Dicts. as a current term!)
