Forms: 6–7 iarr(e, 6 gerre, ier, charre, 7–8 jarr, 6– jar. [This vb. and its accompanying sb. JAR1 are known only from the 16th c. In origin prob. echoic, varying with gerre, charre, representing (with trilled r) a continued harsh vibratory sound. Words phonetically akin are churr, chirr, chark (OE. cearcian), chirk, etc., with varions verbs expressing vocal sound in other languages.]
I. 1. intr. To make or emit a harsh grating sound; to make a musical discord; to sound harshly or in discord with other sounds. Also fig.
1526. Skelton, Dk. Albany, 378. Ye muse somwhat too far, All out of joint ye iar.
1542. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 76 b. Thei would bestowe greate labour and diligence to sette the strynges in right tune, and had maners gerryng quite and clene out of all good accorde or frame.
1576. Fleming, Panopl. Epist., 115. Iarringe, and snarringe at me like dogs.
1598. Drayton, Heroic. Ep., xi. 124. The British Language, which our Vowels wants, And iarres so much upon harsh Consonants.
1602. Marston, Antonio’s Rev., IV. v. Wks. 1856, I. 131. The strings of natures symphony Are crackt and jar.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., I. viii. 21. Though with the clock they have given the last stroke, yet they keep a jarring, muttering to themselves a good while after.
1658. trans. Porta’s Nat. Magick, VI. xiii. 189. If it … ring clearly, it is whole; if it do jar, it is cracked somewhere.
1709. Addison, Tatler, No. 157, ¶ 10. She jarrs and is out of Tune very often in Conversation.
1734. Watts, Reliq. Juv., iv. (1789), 10. Rivers of peace attend his song…: He jars; and, lo! the flints are broke.
1816. Byron, Ch. Har., III. iv. Perchance my heart and harp have lost a string, And both may jar.
† b. To produce a harsh or grating sound on or as on a musical instrument. Obs.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 93. Many other good men iarryng alwayes upon the same stryng, mistooke the note as I did.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., Wks. 1883–4, V. 185. Brauely did he drum on this Cutwolfes bones … iarring on them quaueringly with his hammer.
1603. Drayton, Bar. Wars, III. xlviii. Which like the musicks of the Angels are … Compar’d with which, Aryons did but iarre.
† 2. intr. Of a clock (or, of minutes): To tick. Also (in quot. 1593) trans. To cause to tick. Obs.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., V. v. 51. My thoughts, are minutes; and with Sighes they iarre Their watches on vnto mine eyes.
c. 1594. Kyd, Sp. Trag., IV. in Hazl., Dodsley, V. 122. The bells tolling … the minutes jarring, and the clock striking twelve.
1609. Heywood, Brit. Troy, IV. cvii. He heares no waking clocke, nor watch to iarre.
3. intr. To strike against something (or each other) with a grating sound, or so as to cause vibration; to clash. Const. upon, with, against.
1665. [see JARRING ppl. a. 2].
1713. Steele, Guardian, No. 143, ¶ 1. He came … encumbered with a bar of cold iron … it banged against his calf and jarred upon his right heel, as he walked.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., II. xvii. As broadsword upon target jarred.
1877. Mrs. Oliphant, Makers Flor., xiii. 327. His boat of life had already jarred upon the soft shores of the eternal land.
4. intr. With reference to the sensation caused by discordant sound: To sound harshly in (obs.), or fall with harsh effect on, the ear. Hence, To strike with discordant or painful effect upon the nerves, feelings, mind, conscience, etc.
1538. Starkey, England, I. ii. 63. Hyt sounyth veray yl, hyt jarryth in myn yerys, to gyue such powar to blynd fortune.
1850. Merivale, Rom. Emp. (1865), II. xiii. 108. Of all his audacious innovations, none, perhaps, jarred more upon the prejudices of his countrymen.
1851. Thackeray, Eng. Hum., i. (1863), 57. His laugh jars on one’s ear after seven score years.
1874. Green, Short Hist., vi. § 5. 322. The iniquity of the proposal jarred against the public conscience.
1875. W. S. Hayward, Love agst. World, 78. There was something in her manner … which jarred painfully on his feelings.
5. intr. Of the body affected: a. To vibrate audibly; to resound, clatter or rattle with a grating or grinding sound. b. Hence (without reference to sound) To vibrate, shiver, or shake, from an impact or shock.
1735. Wesley, Wks. (1830), I. 21. The ship shook and jarred with so unequal grating a motion.
1742. Plant, in Phil. Trans., XLII. 40. We had a great Shock; it made my House shake much, and the Windows jar.
1791. Cowper, Iliad, XX. 203. The incumber’d earth jarr’d under foot.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 102/1. May be applied to the doors and windows … where subject to jar or vibrate.
6. trans. To cause to sound discordantly.
1633. trans. Bp. Hall’s Occas. Medit., § 80. When once they [bells] jarre, and check each other … how harsh and unpleasing is that noise.
1839–40. De Quincey, Casuistry, Wks. 1858, VIII. 300. Every impulse of bad health jars or untunes some string in the fine harp of human volition.
1863. Whittier, Andrew Rykman’s Prayer, 107. I alone the beauty mar, I alone the music jar.
7. To cause to vibrate; to shake into vibration; to trill. In quot. 1568 to grind (the teeth).
1568. T. Howell, Arb. Amitie (1879), 101. And break the bragges of curssed curres, that iarre their teeth at thee.
1790. Walker, Pronounc. Dict., Introd. § 419. The rough r is formed by jarring the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth near the fore teeth.
1820. W. Irving, Sketch Bk., Westm. Abb. (1859), 129. It [the music] fills the vast pile, and seems to jar the very walls.
1859. W. Collins, Q. of Hearts (1875), 53. The blow must have jarred the hand of Shifty Dick up to his very shoulder.
1860. O. W. Holmes, Prof. Breakf.-t., vii. (Paterson), 150. A sudden gust … jars all the windows.
b. To cause the nerves or feelings to vibrate painfully, to send a shock through.
1789. Mrs. Piozzi, Journ. France, etc. I. 12. The fine paved road … jars the nerves terribly.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, V. 393. Discord of dreadful sounds That jarr’d the soul.
1821. Byron, Cain, III. i. 135. Since That saying jars you, let us only say—’Twere better that he never had been born.
8. To injure by concussion or impact.
1875. Manning, Mission H. Ghost, viii. 214. If you take in hand a musical instrument that has been broken or jarred, all its notes jangle in discord.
1898. P. Manson, Trop. Diseases, xxii. 359. This blood comes from the wall of an abscess jarred and torn by the succussion of the harassing cough.
b. To roughen, as by concussion or impact.
1853. O. Byrne, Handbk. Artisan, etc. (1870), 338 (Cent.). The face of the polishing lap is hacked, or jarred.
9. To drill by impact, as a rock; to use a drill-jar upon: cf. JAR sb.1 7. (Funk.)
10. To drive by a jarring sound.
1820. Byron, Mar. Fal., III. ii. 540. Man, thou hast struck upon the chord which jars All nature from my heart.
II. 11. intr. To be out of harmony or at discord in character or effect; to be at variance; to disagree; to conflict. Of persons (obs.), or of opinions, statements, systems, etc.
1541. R. Copland, Galyen’s Terapeut., 2 E iij. In this thynge almost all the maysters of medycyne do agre, albeit that in sondry thynges they iarre.
1563. A. Brooke (title), Agreemente of Sondry places of Scripture, seeming in shew to Iarre.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 49/2. The Gospell is not a doctrine iarring from the lawe that Moses published in Gods name.
1667. Milton, P. L., V. 793. Orders and Degrees Jarr not with liberty, but well consist.
1764. Churchill, Gotham, III. 577. Making those jar, whom Reason meant to join.
1873. M. Arnold, Lit. & Dogma (1876), 168. This verse … jars with the words which precede and follow.
b. To come into conflict, to clash.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., I. i. II. xi. (1651), 30. They often jar, Reason is overborne by Passion.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 174, ¶ 1. And yet those Interests are ever jarring.
1851. Brimley, Ess., Wordsw., 140. Clashing sympathies jarred the more harshly within him.
12. intr. To be at strife or active variance; to quarrel; to dispute, bicker, wrangle.
1550. Latimer, Last Serm. bef. Edw. VI., Serm. (1562), 125. They will ier now a dayes one with an other, excepte they haue all. Ibid., 125 b. When they haue ierred they haue both gon to wracke.
1587. Higgins, in Mirr. Mag., Brennus, xxxi. O rather now, my sonnes, leaue of to iar.
c. 1592. Marlowe, Jew of Malta, II. ii. We will not jar about the price.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 94. If intestine Broils allarm the Hive,… The Vulgar in divided Factions jar.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., II. 176. Body and soul, like peevish man and wife, United jar, and yet are loth to part.
1840. Lady C. Bury, Hist. of Flirt, xi. We were everlastingly jarring and saying disagreeable things to each other.
† 13. trans. To bring to disunion or discord. Obs.
c. 1615. Sylvester, trans. H. Smith’s Map of Man. We build and batter, ioyne and iarre, We heap and scatter, make and marre.
1628. Feltham, Resolves, II. [I.] lxxii. 208. ‘Giue it to the fairest,’ was it, which jarr’d the Goddesses.
Hence Jarred ppl. a.
1892. Anne Ritchie, Rec. Tennyson, etc. III. vii. 211. He was in a jarred and troubled state.
1899. Ld. Rosebery, in Daily News, 28 Oct., 6/5. This little island … viewed … with such jarred ambition by the great Empires of the world.
