lese majesty
[ lez, leez ]
/ ˈlɛz, liz /
noun
Law.
- a crime, especially high treason, committed against the sovereign power.
- an offense that violates the dignity of a ruler.
an attack on any custom, institution, belief, etc., held sacred or revered by numbers of people: Her speech against Mother's Day was criticized as lese majesty.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
boldness, coarseness, contempt, discourtesy, dishonor, flippancy, hardihood, impertinence, impiety, impudence, incivility, insolence, irreverence, sacrilege, impoliteness
Nearby words
- lesbo,
- lesbos,
- lesch-nyhan syndrome,
- lesche,
- leschetizky,
- lese-majesty,
- lesghian,
- lesion,
- leslie,
- lesotho
Also lèse majesty, lèse maj·es·té [lez mah-juh-stey; lez maj-uh-stee, leez] /ˈlɛz ˌmɑ dʒəˈsteɪ; ˈlɛz ˈmædʒ ə sti, ˈliz/.
Origin of lese majesty
1530–40; < French lèse-majesté, after Latin (crīmen) laesae mājestātis (the crime) of injured majesty
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019