lettre de cachet
noun
a letter under the seal of the sovereign, especially one ordering imprisonment, frequently without trial.
lettres de cachet
-
pluralof lettre de cachet.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A few summers ago, I searched through ancient lettres de cachet — including private requests for the detention of household members — preserved in rooms set aside in a working police precinct.
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2021
The Parlement of Paris paid for its temerity: it and the whole of the parlements in France were suppressed, and seven hundred magistrates exiled by lettres de cachet.
From The Story of Paris by Katherine Kimball
The crown disposed of persons by lettres de cachet, of property by confiscation, of the public revenue by imposts.
From History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 by M. (François-Auguste-Marie-Alexis) Mignet
Bastilles and lettres de cachet have become an impossibility.
From Beacon Lights of History, Volume 09 European Statesmen by John Lord
He procured lettres de cachet from the King, and shut up his disobedient and debauched son in various state-prisons.
From Beacon Lights of History, Volume 09 European Statesmen by John Lord
