(in medieval England) an assembly of the great nobles and prelates to advise the king
great council in American English
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
Word origin
[1730–40]This word is first recorded in the period 1730–40. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: bronze, maximum, optimism, swipe, thesaurus