civil right

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

civil right
    n 1: right or rights belonging to a person by reason of
         citizenship including especially the fundamental freedoms
         and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th amendments
         and subsequent acts of Congress including the right to
         legal and social and economic equality

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

civil right \civil right\, civil rights \civil rights\
   a legal right or rights belonging to a person by reason of
   citizenship, including especially the fundamental freedoms
   and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th amendments and
   subsequent acts of congress, including the right to legal and
   social and economic equality.
   [WordNet 1.5]