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.
Words nearby lese majesty
lesbo, lesbos, lesch-nyhan syndrome, lesche, leschetizky, lese majesty, 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. 2020
Examples from the Web for lese-majesty
Got to have a finger in some political pie, and political pies in Russia before the war were lese-majesty.
The Drums Of Jeopardy|Harold MacGrathHow could they, when they saw in the temper of the people too plain proofs that their lese-majesty had borne evil fruit?
The Expositor's Bible:The Book of Numbers|Robert A. WatsonThey have conquered you already, as they boast, for the crime of lese-majesty has placed you at their mercy.
The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Volume III.(of III) 1574-84|John Lothrop Motley
British Dictionary definitions for lese-majesty
lese-majesty
/ (ˈliːzˈmædʒɪstɪ) /
noun
any of various offences committed against the sovereign power in a state; treason
an attack on authority or position
Word Origin for lese-majesty
C16: from French lèse majesté, from Latin laesa mājestās wounded majesty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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