lettre de cachet

noun

let·tre de ca·chet ˈle-trə-də-ˌka-ˈshā

plural lettres de cachet ˈle-trə(z)-də-ˌka-ˈshā

: a letter bearing an official seal and usually authorizing imprisonment without trial of a named person

Examples of lettre de cachet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Sade would remain imprisoned until the Revolution abolished the lettre de cachet in 1790. —

Mitchell Abidor, The New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2020

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, letter with a seal

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of lettre de cachet was in 1715

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Lettre de cachet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lettre%20de%20cachet. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation