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lese majesty

 - 2 dictionary results

lese majesty

  [leez]
Use lese majesty in a Sentence
–noun
1. Law.
a. a crime, esp. high treason, committed against the sovereign power.
b. an offense that violates the dignity of a ruler.
2. 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.

Origin:
1530–40; < F lèse-majesté, after L (crīmen) laesae mājestātis (the crime) of injured majesty
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lese majesty
lese maj·es·ty also lèse ma·jes·té   (lēz' māj'ĭ-stē)   
n.   pl. lese maj·es·ties or lèse ma·jes·tés

  1. An offense or crime committed against the ruler or supreme power of a state.

  2. An affront to another's dignity.


[Partial translation of French lèse-majesté, from Latin (crīmen) laesae māiestātis, (the crime) of injured majesty : laesae, feminine genitive of laesus, past participle of laedere, to injure + māiestātis, genitive of māiestās, majesty.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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