*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of jar

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,

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To preserve (food) in a jar.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
    {
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      "expansion": "Old French jare"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "fr",
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    },
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    },
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      "jarre",
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      "jarro#Spanish"
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      "جَرَّة",
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      "giara#Italian"
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

An earthenware container, either with two or no handles, for holding oil, water, wine, etc., or used for burial. · A small, approximately cylindrical container, normally made of clay or glass, for holding fruit, preserves, etc., or for ornamental purposes. · A container and its contents; as much as fills such a container; a jarful. · A pint glass

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "jarre#Middle_French"
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      "jarre",
      "jarre#French"
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      "jarra",
      "jarra#Spanish"
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      "jarro",
      "jarro#Spanish"
    ],
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      "جَرَّة",
      "جرة#Arabic"
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      "giara",
      "giara#Italian"
    ],
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      "jarro",
      "jarro#Occitan"
    ],
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      "jarra",
      "jarra#Portuguese"
    ],
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      "jarro",
      "jarro#Portuguese"
    ]
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      "word": "sah",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To knock, shake, or strike sharply, especially causing a quivering or vibrating movement. · To harm or injure by such action. · To shock or surprise. · To act in disagreement or opposition, to clash, to be at odds with; to interfere; to dispute, to quarrel.

noun

A clashing or discordant set of sounds, particularly with a quivering or vibrating quality. · A quivering or vibrating movement or sensation resulting from something being shaken or struck. · A sense of alarm or dismay. · The effect of something contradictory or discordant; a clash.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mention*chirrenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionċeorianang · to murmur, gripe, complain with just cause
  • Inherited-form mention*karēngmw-pro · to complain

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
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      "expansion": "Middle English *chirren"
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      "jarre",
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      "jurre",
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    ],
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      "*char",
      "Reconstruction:English/char"
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      "Reconstruction:English/charre"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for jar →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-amFy