Lese Majesty Leez Maj Uh Stee Noun Offense Sovereign Power

noun

1. An offense against a sovereign power.

2. An attack against someone's dignity or against a custom or institution held sacred.

[From French lèse-majesté, from Latin crimen laesae maiestatis (the crime of injured majesty).]

"There was, though, one small sign of disenchantment. In a field well away from the airport, there was a scarecrow, dressed in the usual tatters, except for a pair of All Blacks tracksuit bottoms. Such lese majesty would have been unthinkable before the World Cup." - New Zealand: Natural Born Thriller; The Guardian (London, UK); Feb 5, 2000.