Nantes (n?nts, näNt) A city of western France on the Loire River west of Tours. The Edict of Nantes, granting limited religious and civil liberties to the Huguenots, was issued in 1598 by Henry IV of France and revoked in 1685 by Louis XIV.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Nantes (French n??t) n1. (Placename) a port in W France, at the head of the Loire estuary: scene of the signing of the Edict of Nantes and of the Noyades (drownings) during the French Revolution; extensive shipyards, and large metallurgical and food processing industries. Pop: 290 871 (2006)2. (Historical Terms) history See Edict of NantesCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Nantes (nænts; Fr. n??t) n. 1. a seaport in W France, on the Loire River. 263,689. 2. Edict of, a law, promulgated by Henry IV of France in 1598, granting religious and civil liberty to the Huguenots: revoked in 1685. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.