lese majesty

American

[lez, leez maj-uh-stee] / ˈlɛz, ˈliz ˈmædʒ ə sti /

Also lèse majesty,

noun

Law.
1. a crime, especially high treason, committed against the sovereign power.
2. 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.

lese-majesty British

/ ˈliːzˈmædʒɪstɪ /

noun

any of various offences committed against the sovereign power in a state; treason
an attack on authority or position

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lese majesty

First recorded in 1450–1500 in spelling lese mageste; current spelling dates from 1785–80; partial translation of Anglo-French, Middle French lese majesté, leze magesté, from Latin (crīmen) laesae mājestātis “(the crime) of injured majesty” (originally against the Roman people, later against the emperor)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023