Estates General
- noun
- /ɪˈsteɪts ˈʤɛnərəl/
:
Estados Generales
- During the Estates General of 1789, representatives from the clergy, nobility, and commons gathered to discuss reforms.
Examples
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The French monarch called the Estates General in 1789 to address the country's financial crisis.
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Ten months later, following the failed meeting of the Estates-General and the formation of a breakaway National Assembly, the French Revolution was underway.
Blog text (8) -
The French example of a militantly egoistic legislature, the "Estates-General," chilled much of the ardor in Philadelphia for an unfettered Congress.
Academic text (1991) -
The discussions at the Estates General ultimately led to significant political changes in France.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A national assembly of representatives who meet to make laws for a country, especially in the old Dutch Republic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term compositionally suggests a collective of 'estates' (social orders) with 'general' signalling a broad or collective body, so a learner could guess it refers to all estates gathered together. However, it is a specific historical institution and the noun 'estate' is often known to learners primarily as 'property', so the precise political/legislative meaning and historical sense are not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Estates General was the name for a national meeting where the three main social groups in old France met: the 'clergy', meaning church leaders, the 'nobility', meaning lords, and the 'commons', meaning ordinary people. Because these groups argued about power and money in 1789, that meeting helped start the French Revolution, so the name now refers to that old national assembly.