lese-majesty

views updated May 23 2018

lese-majesty treason. XV. — F. lèse—majesté — L. læsa mājestās hurt or violated majesty, i.e. of the sovereign people; læsa, pp. of lædere injure, mājestās MAJESTY.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

lese-majesty

views updated Jun 11 2018

lese-majesty the insulting of a monarch or other ruler; treason. Recorded from Middle English, the phrase comes directly from French lése-majesté, and ultimately from Latin laesa majestas ‘injured sovereignty’.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

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