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great council

American  

noun

  1. (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.

  2. (formerly in Italy) the municipal council in some towns or cities, as in Venice.


great council British  

noun

  1. (in medieval England) an assembly of the great nobles and prelates to advise the king

"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

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.

See Examples For:

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

In the year 1745, August Gottlieb Spangenburg, a bishop of the United Brethren, spent several weeks in Onondaga, and frequently attended the great council.

From The Conspiracy of Pontiac and the Indian War after the Conquest of Canada by Parkman, Francis

Perrot did not return with his companions, but visited Quebec, and there received an appointment from the government to rally the Western tribes in a great council at Sault Ste. Marie.

From Stories of the Badger State by Thwaites, Reuben Gold

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