Charta

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A piece of writing or a document that serves as a record of information or an official transaction
2. A physical sheet of material, such as paper or parchment, often used for writing, drawing, or printing purposes
3. A formal manuscript or declaration that outlines rights, privileges, or agreements in a specified format

Etymology: The Latin "charta" comes from Greek "khartēs," a word for the papyrus reed and the sheet of writing material made from its pith. The Greek term was itself likely borrowed from an Egyptian source, so the word for paper in Europe traces back to a plant that grew along the Nile. Writing on papyrus was the standard medium for centuries, and the Latin noun "charta" meant any sheet of it, whether used for a letter, an account, or a book. In Latin the word gradually came to mean a document recorded on such a sheet, and its legal sense grew from there. Medieval Latin used "charta" for formal deeds, grants of land, and royal privileges, the written proof on which a claim rested. This sense passed into the vernacular languages, and the English word "charter" came into use in the 13th century, borrowed through Old French from the same Latin root.

Synonyms: paper, document, map