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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).
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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
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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