chargé

Chargé is a French adjective and past participle of the verb charger, meaning loaded, burdened, or in charge. In masculine singular it is chargé; feminine chargée; plural chargés or chargées. It is used with nouns to indicate something bearing or carrying another thing, as in une voiture chargée de marchandises or une liste chargée de tâches. It also forms phrases that denote responsibility, such as être chargé de faire quelque chose, or titles like chargé de mission, chargé d’affaires, and chargé de cours.

In diplomacy, the title chargé d’affaires designates a diplomat who heads an embassy temporarily, typically in the absence of an ambassador. The form can appear as chargé d’affaires ad interim or en mission, and it remains a standard term in international relations and diplomatic practice.

In heraldry, the adjective appears in French blazon to indicate a charge placed on a shield; the common English equivalent is “charged with.” For example, an écu chargé d’une croix d’or means the shield bears a gold cross. The use emphasizes the element that is borne on the field rather than the field itself.

Beyond these uses, être chargé de denotes being responsible for a task or assignment, such as a government or organizational official charged with a mission or duties. In English-language contexts, chargé often survives only in loan phrases from French, retaining its specialized meanings in diplomacy, heraldry, and formal administration.