Ajar

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /əˈd͡ʒɑː/

Definitions

1. In a state of being neither fully open nor closed, allowing some passage for light or air
2. Having a door or window left slightly open to permit air or light to pass through
3. Describes an opening that is not completely shut or fully open, allowing a small gap

Etymology: "Ajar" started life as a phrase meaning "on the turn," a door swinging in the middle of its arc. The Middle English "on char" combined "on" with "char," meaning "turn" or "occasion," and "char" descends from Old English "ċierran," "to turn, convert." The Old English word for a turn was "ċierr" or "cyrr," so a door on the turn was literally a door in motion, neither closed nor wide open. The word's first half, the "a-," is an old prefix meaning "in" or "on," which is why "ajar" feels like "a" plus "jar" to modern eyes. But the "jar" in that folk reading, meaning a clash or discord, is a separate word entirely. Its apparent connection to the sound of a door grating on its hinges is a coincidence of spelling rather than history. The word's cousins across the North Sea and beyond show the same idea of turning. Scots "chare" meant "to turn," and Dutch "kier" means "ajar," while German "kehren" means "to turn," preserving the same root sense that once described a door caught mid-swing.

Synonyms: partially open, slightly open

Antonyms: closed, shut