great council
Americannoun
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(in Norman England) an assembly composed of the king's tenants in chief that served as the principal council of the realm and replaced the witenagemot.
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(formerly in Italy) the municipal council in some towns or cities, as in Venice.
noun
Etymology
Origin of great council
First recorded in 1730–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said recently he wanted to expose the "great council cash-cow cover-up" over parking.
From BBC • Jan. 4, 2013
In medieval times, whether in the great council of the church or in secular parliament, the assent of everybody was esteemed as the ideal.
From Time Magazine Archive
Four of them met in the great council room of the castle.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
I learnt it from my father, who is one of the guardians of this temple, and sits in the great council of merchants.
From Tales From J?kai by J?kai, M?r
A great council, evidently mainly ecclesiastical in character, reminded him of his coronation oath, and told him that it was his duty to stay and look after the interests of his own kingdom.
From The English Church in the Middle Ages by Hunt, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
