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

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 Eug?ne Sue

As he said this, poor Jean shuddered at the thought of those terrible words about the lettre de cachet.

From The King's Warrant A Story of Old and New France by Alfred H. Engelbach

I have seen the lettre de cachet; it is my father who has caused me to be placed here.

From Queens of the French Stage by H. Noel Williams

The odious lettre de cachet could consign the most powerful noble to a dungeon, and all were sent to prison who were offensive to government.

From A Modern History, From the Time of Luther to the Fall of Napoleon For the Use of Schools and Colleges by John Lord