lettre de cachet

American  

[le-tr^uh duh ka-she] / lɛ trə də kaˈʃɛ /

noun

French.

lettres de cachet plural

1. a letter under the seal of the sovereign, especially one ordering imprisonment, frequently without trial.

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lettre de cachet British  

/ lɛtrə də kaʃɛ /

noun

1. French history a letter under the sovereign's seal, often authorizing imprisonment without trial

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lettres de cachet
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lettre de cachet

literally: letter with a seal

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lettre de cachet

When he was 16 his father secured a lettre de cachet for him, applied it two years later.*

From Time Magazine Archive

Rohan professed to regard the challenge as a piece of insolence, and, through royal favor, had Voltaire, sent, by lettre de cachet, to the Bastille.

From Superwomen by Terhune, Albert Payson

But at Bordeaux he found that his preparations had been discovered and complained of by Lord Stormont, and that a lettre de cachet for his arrest was already issued.

From The International Monthly Magazine - Volume V - No II by Various

Again he was in danger of the lettre de cachet, and so he repaired to Brunswick, where he finished his work "De la Monarchie Prussienne," which was published in 1788.

From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 4 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)

Another, who seemed to have lost his reason in the sufferings of a long and drear captivity, was the Count of Solange, imprisoned by lettre de cachet during the reign of Louis XV.

From The Sword of Honor, volumes 1 & 2 or The Foundation of the French Republic, A Tale of The French Revolution by Sue, Eug?ne