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• States-General
  States-General

  noun

  the parliament of the Netherlands, consisting of an upper chamber First Chamber and a lower chamber Second Chamber.
• States General
  States General

  plural noun

  the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands

States-General

American  

[steyts-jen-er-uhl] / ˈsteɪtsˈdʒɛn ər əl /

noun

1. the parliament of the Netherlands, consisting of an upper chamber First Chamber and a lower chamber Second Chamber.

2. French History. the legislative body in France before the French Revolution.

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States General British  

plural noun

1. the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands

2. history

   1. an assembly of the estates of an entire country in contrast to those of a single province

   2. Also called: Estates General.  the assembly of the estates of all France, last meeting in 1789

   3. the sovereign body of the Dutch republic from the 16th to 18th century

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Etymology

Origin of States-General

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

She tried to balance the religious diet by enforcing toleration of the Huguenots, she tried to raise money by appealing to the States-General.

From Time Magazine Archive

Poujade's idea is to recreate the States-General, a medieval body made up of the clergy, the nobility and the bourgeoisie.

From Time Magazine Archive

He welcomed the convocation of the States-General, took his seat among the Auvergne nobility and prepared to do his bit in giving France a constitution and legalized reform.

From Time Magazine Archive

His ideas all came back to one, insistently reiterated�a revival of the old States-General.

From Time Magazine Archive

Amsterdam, July 10th, 1781,97 The Duke of Brunswick requests a more formal examination of the charges made against him.—The request referred by the States-General to the Provincial States.

From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (Volume VI) by Various