lese-majesty

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: lese majesty

English

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From French lèse-majesté, from Latin laesa maiestas (injury to majesty).

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key): /liːz ˈmæd͡ʒɪsti/

Noun

[edit]

lese-majesty (uncountable)

  1. An offense against the sovereign power in a state; treason.
  2. An act of disrespect towards authority.
    • 1943 July and August, “MAKING-DO”, in Railway Magazine, page iii, advertisement by London Transport:
      That is a phrase which was almost lese-majesty in LONDON TRANSPORT before the war, but to-day it is a different story. In fact we take pride in making-do, knowing what a contribution it is to the war effort.