Montesquieu

[ mon-tuh-skyoo; French mawn-tes-kyœ ]

noun

1. Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu, 1689–1755, French philosophical writer.

Montesquieu

/ mɔ̃tɛskjø /

noun

1. Montesquieu, Baron de la Brède et de16891755MFrenchPHILOSOPHY: philosopher Baron de la Brède et de (barɔ̃ də la brɛd e də), title of Charles Louis de Secondat. 1689–1755, French political philosopher. His chief works are the satirical Lettres persanes (1721) and L'Esprit des lois (1748), a comparative analysis of various forms of government, which had a profound influence on political thought in Europe and the US

Example Sentences

Like Montesquieu, Locke advocated for a separation of governmental powers in which the legislative, not the executive, would be supreme.

From Salon

These politicians were drawing on the writings of Enlightenment intellectuals such as Montesquieu and John Locke, studying historical examples from ancient Greece and Rome, and embracing key elements of English governance and common law.

From Washington Post

The genius of Montesquieu is that he uses human frailties and impulses to check and balance each other.

From Washington Times

As well as inspiring a scene in Rostand's play, the novel also anticipates the various philosophical travel narratives of Montesquieu, Jonathan Swift, and Voltaire in the following century.

From Salon

“But it’s particularly sad when it happens in France which, thanks to Montesquieu, is considered the country of justice. I’m now hopeful that justice will be rendered.’

From New York Times