chargée

Chargée is the feminine form of the French past participle and adjective derived from the verb charger, meaning "charged" or "loaded." As an adjective, it describes something that has been loaded or burdened, for example un wagon chargé de marchandises. In contemporary usage, chargé can also indicate responsibility for a task when paired with de, yielding phrases such as someone being in charge of a given duty.

In practice, chargée is common in job titles and administrative expressions that denote responsibility. Examples include une chargée de mission (a person responsible for a specific assignment), une chargée de clientèle (a client relations officer), or une chargée de communication. In diplomatic contexts, the feminine form appears in titles such as une chargée d’affaires, used for a woman acting as head of mission in an ambassador’s absence. The corresponding masculine forms are chargé and chargé d’affaires, with the feminine forms chargée and chargée d’affaires.

Grammatical notes: chargée is the feminine form; the masculine counterpart is chargé. The plural forms are chargés (masculine or mixed gender) and chargées (feminine). The meaning remains consistent across genders: indicating either physical loading or responsibility for a task or role.

Etymology: chargée comes from the verb charger, which derives from Old French charger and ultimately from Latin carricare meaning “to load” or “to burden.” The term thus carries both a literal sense (being loaded) and a figurative sense (being tasked with a responsibility).