A formal, written agreement between two or more countries.
From Old French *traitié* “contract, agreement,” from *traiter* “to treat, negotiate,” from Latin *tractare* “to handle, deal with.” It came into English in the Middle Ages to describe official political agreements.
A treaty is basically diplomacy frozen into paper—once signed, it outlives the people who negotiated it. Some borders, like between the U.S. and Canada, are peaceful today largely because of treaties written centuries ago.
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