charter

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A document issued by a sovereign, legislature, or other authority, creating a public or private corporation, such as a city, college, or bank, and defining its privileges and purposes.
• noun A written grant from the sovereign power of a country conferring certain rights and privileges on a person, a corporation, or the people.
• noun A document outlining the principles, functions, and organization of a corporate body; a constitution.
• noun An authorization from a central organization to establish a local branch or chapter.
• noun Special privilege or immunity.
• noun A contract for the commercial leasing of a vessel or space on a vessel.
• noun The hiring or leasing of an aircraft, vessel, or other vehicle, especially for the exclusive, temporary use of a group of travelers.
• noun A written instrument given as evidence of agreement, transfer, or contract; a deed.
• adjective Of, relating to, or being an arrangement in which transportation is leased by a group of travelers for their exclusive, temporary use.
• transitive verb To grant a charter to; establish by charter.
• transitive verb To hire or lease by charter.
• transitive verb To hire (a bus or airplane, for example) for the exclusive, temporary use of a group of travelers.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To hire or let by charter, as a ship. See charterparty.
• To establish by charter: as, to charter a bank.
• noun A written instrument, expressed in formal terms and formally executed, given as evidence of a grant, contract, etc.; any instrument, executed with form and solemuity, bestowing rights and privileges.
• noun Privilege; immunity; exemption.
• noun In com.: The letting or hiring of a ship by special contract: as, a ship is offered for sale or charter. The limits or terms of such a contract. The written instrument embodying the terms of the contract.
• noun In Eng. politics, a sort of claim of rights, or document embodying the demands or principles of the Chartists. See Chartist.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun Archaic A written evidence in due form of things done or granted, contracts made, etc., between man and man; a deed, or conveyance.
• noun An instrument in writing, from the sovereign power of a state or country, executed in due form, bestowing rights, franchises, or privileges.
• noun An act of a legislative body creating a municipal or other corporation and defining its powers and privileges. Also, an instrument in writing from the constituted authorities of an order or society (as the Freemasons), creating a lodge and defining its powers.
• noun A special privilege, immunity, or exemption.
• noun (Com.) The letting or hiring a vessel by special contract, or the contract or instrument whereby a vessel is hired or let. See Charter party, below.
• noun (O. Eng. Law) land held by charter, or in socage; bookland.
• noun one of the original members of a society or corporation, esp. one named in a charter, or taking part in the first proceedings under it.
• noun (Com.) a mercantile lease of a vessel; a specific contract by which the owners of a vessel let the entire vessel, or some principal part of the vessel, to another person, to be used by the latter in transportation for his own account, either under their charge or his.
• noun (Eng. Hist.) the document which embodied the demands made by the Chartists, so called, upon the English government in 1838.
• transitive verb To establish by charter.
• transitive verb To hire or let by charter, as a ship. See Charter party, under Charter, n.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun a document issued by some authority, creating a public or private institution, and defining its purposes and privileges
• noun a similar document conferring rights and privileges on a person, corporation etc
• noun a contract for the commercial leasing of a vessel, or space on a vessel
• noun the temporary hiring or leasing of a vehicle
• noun a deed
• adjective leased or hired
• verb transitive to grant or establish a charter
• verb transitive to lease or hire something by charter

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• verb grant a charter to
• verb hold under a lease or rental agreement; of goods and services
• noun a document incorporating an institution and specifying its rights; includes the articles of incorporation and the certificate of incorporation
• verb engage for service under a term of contract
• noun a contract to hire or lease transportation