statut

Statut is a term used in law, governance, and social sciences, with several related senses that derive from the idea of something fixed or established. The word is most common in French and other Romance-language contexts, and its precise meaning depends on jurisdiction.

In English, the closest standard term is statute, which denotes a written law enacted by a legislative body. The form statut is not normally used in English law, but it appears in translations and in French-language legal contexts.

In Francophone legal systems, statut (plural statuts) has several connected meanings. One sense is the charter or articles of association of a company or organization. The statuts set out the organization’s name, purpose, registered office, governance structure, shareholding or membership rules, procedures for meetings and amendments, and the conditions for dissolution. These documents are foundational for legal existence and internal regulation.

A second sense is the status or standing of a person or entity within a system, such as statut social (social status) or statut professionnel (employment status). A third sense pertains to the overarching framework or constitution of an institution, in which a statut acts as the instrument that creates and governs the body, its powers, and its duties, often in international contexts as well (e.g., the Statut of a treaty or organization).

Etymologically, statut comes from Latin statutus, meaning established or fixed. Distinctions between statute, statut, charter, and articles of association reflect different legal traditions, but all share the core idea of formal, binding rules.