lettre de cachet
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A lettre de cachet was an official, sealed letter or warrant issued by a French king, bearing his personal signature and seal. It was an arbitrary order, most notoriously used to authorize the imprisonment or exile of a person without trial or any formal legal process.
Usage
The term is used historically to refer to this specific instrument of royal power in pre-Revolutionary France. * The king's minister presented a lettre de cachet to imprison the dissident noble. * The abuse of lettres de cachet became a major grievance leading to the French Revolution. * Historians study the lettre de cachet as a symbol of absolute monarchy.
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used metaphorically in modern contexts to criticize any arbitrary or authoritarian order that bypasses standard rules or due process.
- The CEO's sudden dismissal of the manager felt like a corporate lettre de cachet.
Variants and Related Words
- Lettre de cachet is a direct borrowing from French. The plural form is lettres de cachet.
- Royal warrant: A more general English term for an official document issued by a sovereign, though without the specific connotation of arbitrary imprisonment.
- Arrest warrant: A legal document authorizing arrest, but one issued by a judicial authority following legal procedures, in contrast to a .
Synonyms
- Sealed letter
- Royal warrant (in this specific, arbitrary context)
- Arbitrary order
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To be a victim of a lettre de cachet: To be punished or detained without due process or a fair trial.
- The journalist, arrested without charges, claimed he was a victim of a modern lettre de cachet.
Noun
- a warrant formerly issued by a French king who could warrant imprisonment or death in a signed letter under his seal