Home › Glossary › Letter R

Runnymede

Historical Location
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The water-meadow in Surrey where King John sealed Magna Carta in 1215; in poetry, it represents the origins of English constitutional liberty and the power of baronial resistance.

Detailed Definition
Runnymede lies beside the Thames and is traditionally identified as the place where rebellious barons compelled King John to accept Magna Carta. Though the charter’s immediate meaning was limited and contested, the site later became a powerful emblem of law restraining authority. In poetry, Runnymede can turn a quiet meadow into a stage for liberty, oath-making, political memory, and the persistent hope that power may be bound by words.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poet may invoke Runnymede to suggest the sealing of Magna Carta and the birth of limits on royal power; “At Runnymede” can frame a poem about law, liberty, or rebellion; The meadow beside the Thames may be contrasted with the political consequences of the charter signed there; A sonnet set at Runnymede could address King John, the barons, or future generations defending rights
Additional Notes
Runnymede is a meadow beside the River Thames, west of London, traditionally identified as the place where King John accepted Magna Carta in 1215. The charter limited royal authority and became a lasting symbol of constitutional government, although its original provisions chiefly addressed disputes between the king and his barons. In poetry, Runnymede may suggest liberty, law, rebellion, or the defense of rights.
Other Meanings of “Runnymede”
Also Known As
Meadow of Runnymede Waters of Peace Historic Site
Skip to main content