Charter

noun; verb (transitive)

/ˈtʃɑːrtər/

A formal document issued by a sovereign authority granting specific rights, privileges, or powers to an individual, corporation, or colony, such as the Royal Charter of 1600 that created the East India Company.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Citizens' Charter movement sought to recast the administrative state as a service-deliverer accountable to the public, enumerating time-bound entitlements so that the ordinary citizen could demand, rather than merely petition for, what the government had promised.

Synonyms

constitutiondeedcovenantfranchiseconcessionwarrant

Antonyms

revocationannulmentrepeal

🌱 Word Family

charter (n/v), chartered (adj), chartering (v pres.p), charterhouse (n), charterer (n), Magna Carta (n proper)

🔡 Root

Latin chartula = small paper (diminutive of charta); Greek khartes = papyrus leaf; via Old French chartre into Middle English

📜 Etymology

From Middle English chartre, from Old French chartre, from Latin chartula (diminutive of charta), ultimately from Greek khartes ("papyrus leaf").

🧠 Memory Hook

A charter is written on a CHART of paper (Latin charta = paper) that CHARTS out an institution's rights and aims.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2023 — Modern India
Prelims 2018 — Modern India
Prelims 2010 — International Organisations
Mains 2024 · GS2 · 15 marks — Governance
Mains 2019 · GS4 · 10 marks — Ethics in Public Administration
Mains 2018 · GS2 · 15 marks — Governance

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Charter” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: British Conquest & Consolidation (1757...

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