Magna Carta

noun

Mag·​na Car·​ta ˈmag-nə-ˈkär-tə 

variants or less commonly Magna Charta

1

: a charter of liberties to which the English barons forced King John to give his assent in June 1215 at Runnymede

2

: a document constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges

Examples of Magna Carta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The coins were issued between 1036 and 1044, the organization said — predating the Magna Carta by nearly 200 years, and the Battle of Hastings by a few decades. —Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 14 Jan. 2025

Terra Carta derives its name from the historic Magna Carta which laid out the fundamental rights and liberties of the English people more than 800 years ago. —Tianwei Zhang, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024

The requirement to post the Ten Commandments was dropped, but the commandments and the Magna Carta were added to a list of historical documents that educators have the option to use in curricula. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2024

Despite the Magna Carta’s curbs on monarchs, some English kings still succeeded in wielding inordinate power. —James Coffin, Orlando Sentinel, 7 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, literally, great charter

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

Magna Carta

noun

Mag·​na Car·​ta

variants or Magna Charta

ˈmag-nə-ˈkär-tə 

: a charter of liberties signed under duress by King John of England in 1215 that influenced the development of many important modern legal and constitutional principles (as due process)

Etymology

Medieval Latin, literally, great charter