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lettre de cachet

[le-truh duh ka-she]
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noun, plural let·tres de ca·chet [le-truh duh ka-she] /lɛ trə də kaˈʃɛ/. French.
  1. a letter under the seal of the sovereign, especially one ordering imprisonment, frequently without trial.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lettre de cachet

Historical Examples

  • Nevertheless Brienne endures it, launches no Lettre-de-Cachet against it.

    The French Revolution

    Thomas Carlyle

  • Sabatier swore that he would write to the Court for a sealed order (lettre-de-cachet) to shut up the Jacobin.

  • By virtue of this lettre-de-cachet; you see, madame, signed by the minister of police.

British Dictionary definitions for lettre de cachet

lettre de cachet

noun plural lettres de cachet (lɛtrə də kaʃɛ)
  1. French history a letter under the sovereign's seal, often authorizing imprisonment without trial
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Word Origin

literally: letter with a seal
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