A founding document stating what a thing is and by what right. A charter binds those who wrote it as much as those who come after.
Old French chartre, from Latin chartula (a little document), diminutive of charta (paper, a papyrus leaf) — the same family as 'card' and 'paper.'
A founding document stating what a thing is and by what right — a charter binds whoever wrote it exactly as much as whoever comes after.