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charter colony

noun American History.
  1. a colony, as Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island, chartered to an individual, trading company, etc., by the British crown.Compare royal colony(def 2).

Origin of charter colony

First recorded in 1760–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for charter colony

charter colony

noun
  1. US history a colony, such as Virginia or Massachusetts, created by royal charter under the control of an individual, trading company, etc, and exempt from interference by the Crown
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012