[f. CHARY + -NESS.]
1. The quality of being chary; caution; scrupulous care; heedfulness, circumspectness; sparingness.
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. lix. 6. Hee commendeth … his peculiar charines which hee beareth towards his children.
1592. Greene, Disput., 28. Nor doo their charinesse for a moneth, warrant their chastitie for euer.
a. 1600. Hooker, Serm. Faith, in Eccl. Pol. (1617), 91. It behoueth vs with so much the greater charinesse to wade through it, taking special heed both what we build, and whereon we build.
1681. Manton, Serm., Ps. cxix. 2, Wks. VI. 19. Keeping the word relates to our chariness and tenderness of it, when we are as chary of the word as a man would be of a precious jewel.
1849. Robertson, Serm., Ser. I. iii. There was no fastidious over-refined chariness in the use of that name.
† 2. One’s carefulness of anything, carefully preserved state, scrupulous integrity. Obs.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. i. 102. I wil consent to act any villany against him, that may not sully the charinesse of our honesty.
1794. Godwin, Cal. Williams, 250. To preserve, however, the chariness of their reputation.
Charing vbl. sb.: see CHARE v.1 5.
