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

What is Magna Carta? 10 of 10 Morris the Alligator, pictured above, died this week. —Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 20 May 2025

How did an original 1300 Magna Carta end up at Harvard? —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025

British researchers from King’s College London and the University of East Anglia made the discovery while studying unofficial copies of Magna Carta. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2025

The Magna Carta was first issued by King John of England in 1215 and declared that all people, royalty and commoners, had personal rights. —Scott Simon, NPR, 17 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, literally, great charter

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Magna Carta

• charta

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