Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A group of seaports of southeast England (originally Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover, and Sandwich) that formed a maritime and defensive association in the 11th century. Their importance waned after the Anglo-French conflicts of the 14th century.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • (Eng. Hist.) Five English ports, to which peculiar privileges were anciently accorded; -- viz., Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover, and Sandwich; afterwards increased by the addition of Winchelsea, Rye, and some minor places.
  • See under Baron.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A series of five historic coastal towns in Kent and Sussex; namely, Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman.

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