"these presents" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "hae presentes 􂀿litterae􂁀"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Latin hae presentes [litterae]",
      "name": "clq"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque of Latin hae presentes [litterae], literally \"these present [letters]\" but idiomatically \"this present [document].\"",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p"
      },
      "expansion": "these presents pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English pluralia tantum",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1781, Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union\nTo all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "1849, Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience\nHowever, 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.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "This document (formerly used in official documents and decrees; now mainly confined to university diplomas)."
      ],
      "id": "en-these_presents-en-noun-fBZXpeoj",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) This document (formerly used in official documents and decrees; now mainly confined to university diplomas)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "these presents"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "hae presentes 􂀿litterae􂁀"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Latin hae presentes [litterae]",
      "name": "clq"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque of Latin hae presentes [litterae], literally \"these present [letters]\" but idiomatically \"this present [document].\"",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p"
      },
      "expansion": "these presents pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English pluralia tantum",
        "English terms calqued from Latin",
        "English terms derived from Latin",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1781, Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union\nTo all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "1849, Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience\nHowever, 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.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "This document (formerly used in official documents and decrees; now mainly confined to university diplomas)."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) This document (formerly used in official documents and decrees; now mainly confined to university diplomas)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "these presents"
}