Great seal

Great seal
The seal first appeared in its developed form in England during Edward the Confessor's reign. The great seal was double-sided (unlike other English royal seals) and usually showed the monarch seated, as well as the royal insignia. Henry I's showed him on the obverse seated on the throne with orb and sword, while on the reverse he was mounted with sword and shield as duke of Normandy (dux Normannorum). In time it was augmented by other, smaller seals as the central administration expanded, then by the *privy seal, the keeper of which was a minister of state. Literal possession of the seal conferred immense power on its bearer; it gave and affirmed authority of sovereign and state. -

Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. .

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  • Great seal — Great Great (gr[=a]t), a. [Compar. {Greater}; superl. {Greatest}.] [OE. gret, great, AS. gre[ a]t; akin to OS. & LG. gr[=o]t, D. groot, OHG. gr[=o]z, G. gross. Cf. {Groat} the coin.] 1. Large in space; of much size; big; immense; enormous;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Great seal — Seal Seal, n. [OE. seel, OF. seel, F. sceau, fr. L. sigillum a little figure or image, a seal, dim. of signum a mark, sign, figure, or image. See {Sign}, n., and cf. {Sigil}.] 1. An engraved or inscribed stamp, used for marking an impression in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • great seal — great′ seal′ n. 1) gov the principal seal of a government or state 2) gov (caps.) a) the Lord Chancellor, keeper of the principal seal of Great Britain b) the office of the Lord Chancellor …   From formal English to slang

  • great seal — n. the chief seal of a nation or state, with which official papers are stamped as proof of having been approved or certified …   English World dictionary

  • Great Seal — The Great Seal might mean: Countries * Great Seal of Canada * Great Seal of France * Great Seal of Ireland * Great Seal of the Realm (UK) ** Great Seal of Northern Ireland ** Great Seal of Scotland * Great Seal of the United States Historic seals …   Wikipedia

  • great seal — noun the principal seal of a government, symbolizing authority or sovereignty • Hypernyms: ↑seal, ↑stamp • Instance Hyponyms: ↑Great Seal of the United States * * * noun Etymology: Middle English grete seel …   Useful english dictionary

  • great seal — jūrų kiškis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Erignathus barbatus angl. bearded seal; great seal; leporine seal; long bodied seal; squareflipper; ugrug; ugruk vok. Bartrobbe; Blaurobbe; bärtige Robbe;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Great Seal of the United States — Reverse of the Seal …   Wikipedia

  • Great Seal of the Confederate States — Details Armiger Confederate States of America …   Wikipedia

  • Great Seal of the United States — Great Seal of the U|nit|ed States, the the official ↑seal (=special circle shaped design) printed on important documents, used to prove that a document is from the US government. The seal has two sides, and on one side is a picture of a ↑bald… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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