Charter

How to spell charter

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce charter

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does charter mean?

1. nounA formal written document that grants rights, defines an organisation, or establishes the principles of a body.
2. verbTo hire or lease a vehicle, ship, or aircraft for private use under a formal agreement.

Charter in a sentence

• noun

  The town received its royal charter in the thirteenth century.

• verb

  The company decided to charter a private jet for the executives.

• noun

  The new club drafted a charter setting out its rules and aims.

• verb

  They wanted to charter a boat for a week of fishing.

Where does charter come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes ultimately from the Latin charta, meaning a sheet of papyrus or a written document, which itself was borrowed from the Greek khartes, a leaf of papyrus used for writing. Latin formed the diminutive chartula for a small document, and this passed into Old French as chartre, a formal deed or written grant of rights. English took it up in the 1200s as a noun for an official document by which a ruler or government conferred privileges, such as the rights of a town or a guild. From the idea of a written contract of hire the verb sense developed, meaning to engage a ship, aircraft, or vehicle under formal agreement. The same charta root also lies behind 'chart' and 'cartel', and remembering the link to paper documents helps fix the 'char' opening and the plain '-ter' ending in the spelling.

How the word is built

• chart- (from Latin charta: a sheet of paper or formal document)
• -er (noun/verb forming suffix)