Where does “charter” come from?
Charter comes from Middle English charter, from Old French chartre, from Latin chartula, a diminutive of charta meaning a leaf of papyrus or written document, ultimately from Ancient Greek χαράσσω meaning to engrave or scratch.
charter (English): A document issued by some authority, creating a...
Definitions
- A document issued by some authority, creating a...
Ancestry of “charter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | charter | — |
| 2 | Old French | chartre | charter; covenant; written agreement; record;... |
| 3 | Latin | chartula | Diminutive of charta a little paper; memorandum |
| 4 | Latin | charta | papyrus, paper; poem, a writing; map |
| 5 | French | cartel | a cartel |
| 6 | Italian | cartello | sign, notice, placard, signboard; signpost, road... |
| 7 | Italian | carta | paper; map; menu |
| 8 | Latin | carta | papyrus; letter etc |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάρτης | sheet of paper, paper; book |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | χαράσσω | to sharpen; to engrave, carve, write, draw, stamp |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |