ajar: [16] Ajar comes from Scotland and Northern England. In Middle English times it was a char or on char, literally ‘on turn’ (char comes from an Old English word cerr ‘turn’, which in its metaphorical sense ‘turn of work’ has given modern English charwoman and chore). A door or window that was in the act of turning was therefore neither completely shut nor completely open. The first spellings with j occur in the 18th century. => char, charwoman
