Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

these presents

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.40 in modern English

Syllables: the-se p-re-sents
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

This document (formerly used in official documents and decrees; now mainly confined to university diplomas).

Archaic

Example Sentences

"1781, Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting."
"1849, Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience However, at the request of the selectmen, I condescended to make some such statement as this in writing:—"Know all men by these presents, that I, Henry Thoreau, do not wish to be regarded as a member of any incorporated society which I have not joined.""

Etymology

Calque of Latin hae presentes [litterae], literally "these present [letters]" but idiomatically "this present [document]."

Usage

Archaic

Questions

What does these presents mean?: This document (formerly used in official documents and decrees; now mainly confined to university diplomas).
Where does these presents come from?: Calque of Latin hae presentes [litterae], literally "these present [letters]" but idiomatically "this present [document]."

How to pronounce these presents

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