Look up majesty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Majesty is an English word rooting in the Latin Maiestas, meaning literally, Greatness. Over time the word became anglicised, the i becoming a j and the ending -as, being replaced with the English -y. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary logo Wiktionary is a sister project to Wikipedia intended to be a free wiki dictionary (including thesaurus and lexicon) in every language. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Anglicized refers to foreign words, often surnames, that are changed from a foreign language into English. ...

Origin

Originally, during the Roman republic, the word maiestas was the legal term for the supreme status and dignity of the state, to be respected above everything else. This was crucially defined by the existence of a specific crime, called laesa maiestatis, literally "Violated Majesty" (in English law Lese majesty, via the French Lèse-majesté), consisting of the violation of this supreme status. Various acts such as celebrating a party on a day of public mourning, contempt of the various rites of the state and disloyalty in word or act were punished as crimes against the majesty of the republic. However, later, under the Empire, it came to mean an offence against the dignity of the Emperor.Even paying for a service in a brothel with a coin bearing the portrait of the emperor could be punished as an act aganst this "maiestas". See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Lese majesty, leze majesty, or lèse majesté (from the Latin Laesa maiestatis, injury to the Majesty) is the crime of violating majesty, an offense against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Augustus). ... Roman Emperor is the term historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ...

Western style monarch's address

After the fall of Rome, Majesty was used to describe a Monarch of the very highest rank - indeed, it was generally applied to God. The title was then also assumed by Monarchs of great powers (an attempt at self-praise and despite a supposed lower royal style as a King (or Queen), who would thus often be called "His (or Her) Royal Majesty." The first English king to be styled Majesty was Henry VIII - earlier monarchs had used the form His Grace. Eventually the title became enshrined in law, and it was thus that all of the Kings and Queens of Europe bear the title to this day. Variations include His Catholic Majesty for Spain and Her Britannic Majesty for the United Kingdom. God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being ascribed by monotheistic religions to be the creator, ruler and/or the sum total of, existence. ... A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... A monarch (see sovereign) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... A monarch (see sovereign) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 - April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is (in alphabetical order) Queen of Antigua and Barbuda, Queen of Australia, Queen of The Bahamas, Queen of Barbados, Queen of Belize, Queen of Canada, Queen of Grenada, Queen of Jamaica, Queen of New Zealand, Queen of Papua New Guinea...

(The Monarchs of Principalites were considered lesser, so they generally did not take the title, opting for either His Royal Highness or His Serene Highness. On a similar note almost all rulers of princely states in the British Empire were denied the Majesty style, only being regognized as His Highness, a style commonly used for sons (and other relatives) of a Majesty), since they were not sovereigns. Prince Albert of Monaco on the left represents a principality where he wields administrative authority. ... HRH is an acronym for His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness. ... HSH is an acronym for His Serene Highness or Her Serene Highness. ... The British Empire was at one time the foremost global power and remains unsurpassed as the largest empire in history. ... Highness, often used with a personal possessive pronoun (His/Her/Your Highness, the first two abbreviated HH) and/or an adjective referring to the rank of the dynasty (e. ...

Sometimes a Queen dowager is restyled Her Highness following the death of her husband, but more often these Queen dowagers retain the style of "Majesty" (e.g. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was styled "Her Majesty" after the death of her husband). A Queen Dowager or Dowager Queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. ... ... Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon as Queen Elizabeth. ...

Imperial monarch's address

In the case of Emperors and Empresses, the style "His (or Her) Imperial Majesty" is used instead, where there may be several monarchs (Kings or Queens) that are considered to be under the jurisdiction of the Emperor/Empress. An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ...

Various modern uses

• Majestic may also describe something that is very grand, superior, noble and refined, this being the adjective, with the adverb being, Majestically.
• Majesty is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Cyberlore Studios in 2000 and first published by MicroProse.
• Majesty is a Progressive Metal band formed in 1986 by guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, drummer Mike Portnoy, keyboardist Kevin Moore, and vocalist Chris Collins. The band's name later changed to Dream Theater.
• Majesty is also a British magazine which concentrates on the British royal family.