chary
Part of speech: adj
adv
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From Middle English chari, charre, charri, chary, Early Middle English cearig, chariȝ (“concerned with, diligent; sad, sorrowful; of a person: cherished, loved”), from Old English ċeariġ (“careful; pensive; chary, wary; anxious, sad, sorrowful; dire, grievous”), from Proto-West Germanic *karag (“anxious; sad”), from Proto-Germanic *karō + *-gaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“exclamation; voice”) + *-kos (suffix forming adjectives with the meaning ‘pertaining to; typical of’)); analysable as care + -y.
The English word is cognate with Danish karrig (“miserly, stingy”), Dutch karig (“austere, scant, sparing”), Norwegian karrig (“barren; meagre; poor”), Old High German charag, karag (“sparing”) (modern German karg (“barren; meagre, poor”)), Old Saxon carag, karag, Swedish karg (“austere; barren; hungry; needy, poor”). See further at care.
Base: care
Affixes: -y
Inflected forms:
form: charier
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: chariest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: more chary
pos: adv
tags: comparative
form: most chary
pos: adv
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: Careful, cautious, shy, wary.
pos: adj
examples: The Charieſt maide is prodigall enough, / If ſhe vnmaske hir beautie to the Moone.
[E]ls is he chary and wary to lay himſelfe open to any daunger, if the finall end of his endeauour and toile bee not plauſible in his demurring judgement.
[Y]our Women of Honour, as you call 'em, are only chary of their reputations, not their Perſons, and 'tis ſcandal they wou'd avoid, not Men: [...]
However, the moſt Solid and Apprehenſive ſort of Men cannot be perſwaded, that thoſe two Monarchs [Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and Charles II of Spain], being more Chary of their Honour and their Reputation, then the Duke of Savoy [Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia], who ſo ignominouſly abandon'd the Confederates, Innocent XII. will not find that Eaſineſs in them to be wrought upon, which he met with in the King of Cyprus; [...]
Of ſpotleſs fame, be chary as your lives! / Keep wide of proof, and you're the beſt of wives!
I should have been chary of discussing my guardian too freely with her; but I should have gone on with the subject so far as to describe the dinner in Gerrard-street, if we had not then come into a sudden glare of gas.
They [Roman Catholics] had learned to hate government, and glory in the violation of law; they had become suspicious of everyone, even of their friends; they had contracted a habit of equivocation, and were chary of telling the truth; their manliness of character was to some extent undermined, and they had learned the attitude and the language of slaves.
The latter of these conceptions of law is the one that prevails in current science such as avoids metaphysical insinuation, and, chary as to a priori principles and methods, proceeds empirically and inductively.
The pre-grouping railway managements were very chary about allowing other people's trains on their territory, and there were many instances where running powers granted by Act of Parliament were never actually excercised because of difficulties deliberately put in the way.
When Lord Berek speaks with you and your companions alone, as he must, be chary in your replies. If you are at any time uncertain of what may be said, permit me to answer in your stead.
gloss: Excessively particular or fussy about details; fastidious.
pos: adj
examples: True, the wreath might have been improved with a little more care; [...] Though, after all, we are, perhaps, too chary; for in nature every leaf is not ironed out to a form, nor propped up with a wiry precision; but blown and ruffled by the refreshing breezes, and looking as easy, and careless, and unaffected, as a child that bounds along with its silken locks tossed to and fro just as the wind uplifts them. Page after page of this volume have we perused with a feeling of pleasure and admiration.
gloss: Not disposed to give freely; not lavish; frugal, sparing.
pos: adj
examples: Oh! look not thus o'erjoy'd, for if I thought / We e'er could meet again this side the grave, / Trust me, I had been charier of my tenderness.
The house had a projecting window, where the poet [Percy Bysshe Shelley] loved to sit with book in hand, and catch, according to his custom, the maximum of sunlight granted by a chary English summer.
Virginia had been somewhat chary of favors to her distinguished son, and it was from a son of Massachusetts that his highest honors came, for President John Adams, in recognition of his great ability, made [John] Marshall secretary of state after having offered him an appointment to the supreme bench, which he declined.
We instinctively know that nature supplied the form but, ever chary of favors, has passed on to give the beautiful fare perhaps, to a woman of unlovely form.
American forces on the west of the Soissons salient stopped a German advance and the French, who are chary of compliments, declared that our "lightning trained" men conducted themselves as veterans.
gloss: Cared for, regarded as precious; cherished.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: The bounty so much delighted mine host, that he ran to fill the stirrup-cup (for which no charge was ever made) from a butt yet charier than that which he had pierced for the former stoup.
gloss: Synonym of charily: carefully, cautiously, warily.
pos: adv
examples: O therefore loue be of thy ſelfe ſo wary, / As I not for my ſelfe, but for thee will, / Bearing thy heart, which I will keep ſo chary / As tender nurſe her babe from faring ill, [...]
Derived words: charily
chariness
uncharily
unchary
Translations: