lese majesty
[ lez, leez ]
/ ˈlɛz, liz /
noun
Law.
- a crime, especially high treason, committed against the sovereign power.
- an offense that violates the dignity of a ruler.
an attack on any custom, institution, belief, etc., held sacred or revered by numbers of people: Her speech against Mother's Day was criticized as lese majesty.
Also
lèse majesty,
lèse maj·es·té
[lez mah-juh-stey; lez maj-uh-stee, leez] /ˈlɛz ˌmɑ dʒəˈsteɪ; ˈlɛz ˈmædʒ ə sti, ˈliz/.
Origin of lese majesty
1530–40; < French
lèse-majesté, after Latin (
crīmen)
laesae mājestātis (the crime) of injured majesty
Words nearby lese majesty
lesbo,
lesbos,
lesch-nyhan syndrome,
lesche,
leschetizky,
lese majesty,
lese-majesty,
lesghian,
lesion,
leslie,
lesotho
Example sentences from the Web for lese-majesty
Got to have a finger in some political pie, and political pies in Russia before the war were lese-majesty.
The Drums Of Jeopardy |Harold MacGrathHow could they, when they saw in the temper of the people too plain proofs that their lese-majesty had borne evil fruit?
The Expositor's Bible:The Book of Numbers |Robert A. WatsonThey have conquered you already, as they boast, for the crime of lese-majesty has placed you at their mercy.
The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Volume III.(of III) 1574-84 |John Lothrop Motley
British Dictionary definitions for lese-majesty
lese-majesty
/ (ˈliːzˈmædʒɪstɪ) /
noun
any of various offences committed against the sovereign power in a state; treason
an attack on authority or position
Word Origin for lese-majesty
C16: from French
lèse majesté, from Latin
laesa mājestās wounded majesty