fourth estate
English
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
fourth estate
Where it comes from
The three (in England) estates were originally the three classes of people who could participate in government, either directly or by electing representatives – originally the clergy, barons/knights, and the commons (though they changed over time). Later the "three estates" were misunderstood as being the three governmental powers necessary for legislation: the Crown, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons; from there, the idea of a "fourth estate" was often used in satirical or jocular expressions, before developing a fixed association with the Press.
In the modern sense often attributed to Edmund Burke (1787), popularized by essayist William Hazlitt in the 19th century.
noun
- A hypothetical fourth class of civic subjects, or fourth body (in Britain, after the Crown, and the two Houses of Parliament) which governed legislation. What is more barbarous than to see a nation […] where justice is lawfully denied him, that hath not wherewithall to pay for it; and that this merchandize hath so great credit, that in a politicall government there should be set up a fourth estate [tr. quatriesme estat] of Lawyers, breathsellers and
- Journalism or journalists considered as a group; the press. “Of what profession is Mr. Archer?” “Of the Corporation of the Goosequill—of the Press, my boy,” said Warrington; “of the fourth estate.”
Translations
Every language
noun press
| Español | cuarto poder |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 第四权 dìsìquán |
| Français | quatrième pouvoir |
| Deutsch | vierte Gewalt |
| Русский | четвёртая власть četvjórtaja vlastʹ |
| עברית | הרשות הרביעית, העיתונות |
Talk about this word "fourth estate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fourth%20estate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fourth estate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fourth%20estate "fourth estate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fourth%20estate.Cite this
@misc{fourth_estate_2026,
title = {fourth estate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fourth%20estate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
