Magna Carta
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Mag·na Car·ta
or Mag·na Char·ta (măg′nə kär′tə)n.
The charter that King John of England issued in 1215 at the behest of his barons, recognizing the right of persons to certain basic liberties, such as due process, later also embodied in the American Constitution: "We are heirs to a tradition given voice 800 years ago by Magna Carta, which ... confined executive power by 'the law of the land'" (David Souter).
[Middle English, from Medieval Latin : Latin magna, great + charta, charter.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Magna Carta
(ˈmæɡnə ˈkɑːtə) orMagna Charta
n
(Historical Terms) English history the charter granted by King John at Runnymede in 1215, recognizing the rights and privileges of the barons, church, and freemen
[Medieval Latin: great charter]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Mag•na Car•ta
(or Char•ta)
(ˈmæg nə ˈkɑr tə)n.
1. the charter of liberties forced from King John by the English barons at Runnymede, June 15, 1215.
2. any basic law guaranteeing liberties.
[1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin: literally, great charter]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Magna Carta
A 1215 charter of English liberties granted by King John under threat of baronial civil war.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
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Noun | 1. | Magna Carta - the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215 Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom |
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Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005