petit treason

American  

[pet-ee tree-zuhn] / ˈpɛt i ˈtri zən /

Or petty treason

noun

English Law.

1. the killing of a husband by his wife, of a lord by his servant, or of an ecclesiastic by a subordinate ecclesiastic.

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Etymology

Origin of petit treason

Borrowed into English from Anglo-French around 1490–1500

Example Sentences

I cannot say I had as much tolerance for the patriotism of Miss Bayard as I had for the petit treason of my sister.

From The Chainbearer Or, The Littlepage Manuscripts by Cooper, James Fenimore

Even in England, indeed, servants were debarred in various regards, that of petit treason, for example, from this avenue of relief.

From American Negro Slavery A Survey of the Supply, Employment and Control of Negro Labor as Determined by the Plantation Regime by Phillips, Ulrich Bonnell

I have said that this is the only case of petit treason to be found in our records.

From The Trial and Execution, for Petit Treason, of Mark and Phillis, Slaves of Capt. John Codman Who Murdered Their Master at Charlestown, Mass., in 1755; for Which the Man Was Hanged and Gibbeted, and the Woman Was Burned to Death. Including, Also, Some Account of Other Punishments by Burning in Massachusetts by Goodell, Abner Cheney