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Estates General

American  
Or Estates‑General

noun

French History.
  1. the States-General.


Estates General British  

noun

  1. See States General

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Seeking a mandate from the French people for his policies, Louis XVI convened the Estates General.

From The Wall Street Journal

He convened the Estates General—representing the nobles, the clergy and the commoners—to break the deadlock.

From The Wall Street Journal

But something is happening in Versailles, where the commoners of the Estates General have broken from the clergy and the nobles, and declared themselves France’s legitimate national assembly.

From New York Times

That night, in their ancient hall, in the dim light of flickering candles, the Estates General met to discuss whether the country could still be saved.

From Project Gutenberg

I thought she was off on arbitrary ecclesiastical power and here she was firing Estates General at me and raking up old scandals on Charles VI and VII.

From Project Gutenberg