Magna Carta
UK /ˌmæɡnə ˈkɑːtə/ · US /ˌmæɡnə ˈkɑːɹtə/ proper noun, noun
Forms Magna Cartas Magnae Cartae Magnæ Cartæ Magna Charta Magna Charter Mᵃ Cᵃ Mag. Cart.
- proper noun (historical) A charter granted by King John to the barons at Runnymede in 1215, which is one of the bases of English constitutional tradition; a physical copy of this charter, or a later version.
- proper noun (law) A modified version of the charter of King John as granted by Henry III in 1236, confirmed as a statute by the Parliament of King Edward I in 1297, part of which remains in force in England and Wales.
- noun (figuratively) A landmark document that sets out rights or important principles.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Late Middle English Magna Carta, borrowed from Medieval Latin Magna Carta, from Latin magna (“great”) + carta (“charter”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “Magna Carta”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details