Pronounced: ny-AG-ruh (alt: ny-AG-uhr-uh), noun
Notes: I was close on the meaning
Yesterday’s word
The word lèse-majesté is
- a crime or offense committed against a sovereign power
- a detraction from or affront to dignity or importance
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1400s
Background / Comments
Our word is also spelled “lese majesty”; it came from Middle French, which came from the Latin phrase laesa majestas (injured majesty). The word can refer to anything from a small breach of etiquette to treason. Our word has acquired an ironic meaning, referring to an insult or impudence to a particularly pompous or self-important person.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 