chur

English edit

WOTD – 25 April 2019

Pronunciation edit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /tʃɜː/
(General American) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɝ/
(New Zealand) IPA^(key): /tʃøː/
(Hong Kong) (overwhelming): IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɜ˧˥/
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)

Etymology 1 edit

Modified from cheers.

Interjection edit

chur (New Zealand, informal)

A strong voicing of agreement, approval, or thanks: awesome!, cheers!, ta!, thanks!.
- 2009 September 24, Julie Jacobson (interviewer), “Sir Howard Morrison Interview”, in The Dominion Post (reproduced on Stuff.co.nz)‎^[1], Wellington, archived from the original on 11 December 2013:
  "Chur," Sir Howard [Morrison] hooted. "Chur doy, chur", which, translated, means something along the lines of: "Well done, mate".
- [2012 March 24, “A Nation Divided: Inside the Urewera Four Trial”, in The New Zealand Herald‎^[2], Auckland, archived from the original on 18 October 2017:
  K[evin] L[ambert]: Got 2 mates; dum as fuk; do nethin 4 me; can drive truks; fly planes, got kidz 2. / T[uhoe] L[ambert]: Cher cuz. Da dumber da better.]
- [2015 September 9, Max Christoffersen, “We Like Waikato Civil Defence’s Stick Girl Tracey”, in Stuff.co.nz‎^[3]:
  Meanwhile, on the crap-to-chur scale, Tron [i.e., Hamilton, New Zealand] weather is explained without any need for isobars or weather systems – who knew rain and snow down south was so simple?]
- 2017 January 25, Toby Manhire, “New Zealand Citizen Peter Thiel – 5 Awkward Questions and 10 Peculiar Facts”, in The Spinoff‎^[4], archived from the original on 10 April 2017:
  Does Mr [Peter] Thiel (chur, bro, by the way!) gain citizenship because the minister judged it “in the public interest because of exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian or other nature relating to the applicant”?
- 2017 November 8, Calum Henderson, “Jacinda Ardern and Stan Walker trace their heritage”, in The New Zealand Herald‎^[5], Auckland, archived from the original on 30 January 2018:
  [Stan] Walker's closing address is probably closer to the show's reality: "More whānau … chur!"
- 2018 October 18, “KJ Apa Explains ‘Chur’, ‘Yarn’ and ‘Bugger All’ in New Video”, in Stuff.co.nz‎^[6], archived from the original on 4 November 2018:
  If someone’s made me some food, and it tastes really nice, when someone puts it in front of me, I’d say ‘Oh chur’. […] You always say it with a smile on your face. Every time you hear it, it pretty much gives you a smile, so, chur.
A parting salutation: bye, see you later.
- 2015 June 23, Brendon Egan, quoting Slade McFarland, “Norman Berryman Emotional Tribute by John Akurangi”, in Stuff.co.nz‎^[7]:
  Never a dull moment much love to you axe as well. Chur my cuz. [On hearing of the death of Norm Berryman.]

Synonyms edit

(thanks): see Thesaurus:thank you
(parting salutation): see Thesaurus:goodbye

Translations edit

voicing of agreement, approval

voicing of thanks — see thanks

parting salutation — see bye,‎ goodbye

Etymology 2 edit

From Hindustani چر / चर (car, “ford; island, shoal”).^[1]^[2]

Noun edit

chur (plural churs)

(India, dated) An island or shoal in a river.
- 1869 July 30, Justice A. J. Macpherson, “Rashmonee Dassee and others (Defendants) Appellants, versus Bhubonath Bhuttacharjee (Plaintiff) Respondent”, in D[avid] Sutherland, editor, The Weekly Reporter, Appellate High Court. [...], volume XII, Calcutta: Published by Messrs. Thacker, Spink & Co., and printed by the Bengal Printing Company Limited, published 1870, →OCLC, page 253, column 1:
  The plaintiff sues to get possession of a piece of chur land. In the plaint, the case which seems to be made is, that the land is a re-formation upon the site of a former chur which at one time belonged to those through whom the plaintiff claims, but which was subsequently washed away. […] The first issue fixed by the Moonsiff, as stated in his judgment, is, "whether the chur in dispute is the contiguous accretion to the re-formed lands of Chur Bandaparah and was held in possession by the plaintiff, and his co-sharers."
- 1870 November 19, Justice Markby, “Nabin Kishor Roy (defendant) v. Jages Prasad Gangopadhya and others (plaintiffs).”, in The Madras Revenue Register, volume V, number 6, Madras: [s.n.], published 15 June 1871, →OCLC, page 211, column 1:
  This was a suit brought to recover possession of 12,000 beegahs of land. The land in question is a chur in the river Megna, a large navigable and tidal river. The particular portion of the river where the chur is situate is called the Gogra. […] They [the defendants] do not now attempt to make out a title to the chur; but they assert that it has been ever since its formation in their possession.
- 1872 May 25, Sir James W. Colville, Sir Robert Phillimore, Sir Montague E. Smith, “Nogender Chunder Ghose and another, versus Mahomed Esoff, the Collector of Chittagong, and others”, in D[avid] Sutherland, editor, The Weekly Reporter, Appellate High Court. [...], volume XVIII, Calcutta: Published by Thacker, Spink, and Co., published 1873, →OCLC, page 114, column 1:
  Some time before 1847 the river threw up in its main and navigable channel certain islands or churs, of which it is only necessary to specify two, viz., Chur Durmeean and Chur Dukhin. […] [F]or the purposes of this litigation, it must be assumed that the churs in question were the property of the Government, and were duly granted to and settled with the respondents. […] Before the end of 1852 the river had swept away the whole of Chur Durmeean, but had formed another low chur in the vicinity of its site.

Coordinate terms edit

Etymology 3 edit

Borrowed from Cantonese chur (coe²).

Adjective edit

chur

(Hong Kong) Overwhelming; demanding; intense.

Antonyms edit

hea

Verb edit

chur

(Hong Kong) To do something overwhelming, demanding, or intense.

References edit

^ J[oseph] T[urnbull] Thompson (1838) “Chur, چر चर”, in A Dictionary in Oordoo and English, […], Serampore: Printed for the compiler; […], →OCLC, page 90, column 1.
^ Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “चर”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha