Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun 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.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- The great Charter, so called, obtained by the English barons from King John, A. D. 1215. This name is also given to the charter granted to the people of England in the ninth year of Henry III., and confirmed by Edward I.
- Hence, a fundamental constitution which guaranties rights and privileges.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun A charter, granted by King John to the
barons atRunnymede in 1215, that is a basis ofEnglish constitutional tradition .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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That document has been called the Magna Carta of our time.
Martha Burk: Let Eleanor Speak For Herself -- Fix The FDR Memorial Martha Burk 2012
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These laws they called Magna Carta, or the great charter; and they all came in armor, and took John by surprise at Windsor.
Young Folks' History of England Charlotte Mary Yonge 1862
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According to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the so-called Magna Carta of spaceflight, the country where the object was launched is absolutely liable.
Space debris could be about to hit us with some weighty legal conundrums | Neil Rose 2011
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Many people, especially those who write articles on this subject for Wikipedia, would say the Magna Carta is the most influential and important foundation of constitutional law.
Sophie Pollitt-Cohen: June 15: King John Signs Magna Carta 2010
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Many people, especially those who write articles on this subject for Wikipedia, would say the Magna Carta is the most influential and important foundation of constitutional law.
Sophie Pollitt-Cohen: June 15: King John Signs Magna Carta 2010
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I wonder if Obama chose Greece and Britain when he was taking about exceptionalism as Greece was the Birthplace of Democracy, and Britain with the Magna Carta was the birthplace of many of the freedoms enshrined in the US constitution.
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Many people, especially those who write articles on this subject for Wikipedia, would say the Magna Carta is the most influential and important foundation of constitutional law.
Sophie Pollitt-Cohen: June 15: King John Signs Magna Carta 2010
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The Magna Carta is the oldest document seen as establishing the rule of common law.
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Sotheby's chairman David Redden called the Magna Carta "the birth certificate of freedom".
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If you need a refresher course, the Magna Carta is the first document to grant human rights.
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