majesty

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmæd͡ʒ.əs.ti/; /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪs.tɪ/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English mageste, majeste, borrowed from Old French majesté (“grandeur, nobility”),^[2][3][4] from Latin maiestās, maiestātem, greatness, dignity, sovereign power,^[3][2][5] from the stem of maior, the comparative of magnus, great (see major),^[2][3][6] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *meg- (“great”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The greatness and glory of God: before 1300, the earliest use in English;^[7][3] dignity, magnificence, about 1300.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The dignity or greatness of a sovereign, sovereign power, is from 1375.^[7] As a title of address for kings and queens, your majesty, it is from the late 14th century, from the Romance languages, and originated in the Roman Empire.^[3][7] Kingly dignity of bearing, stateliness, is from 1531,^[7] and of natural objects or buildings, grandeur, from 1555.^[7] Majestic is from 1601, in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.^[2]

Timeline

• before 1300 – the glory of God.^[7]
• 1375 – sovereign dignity.^[7]
• late 14th century – a royal title.^[3]
• 1531 – stately bearing.^[7]
• 1555 – grandeur of things.^[7]
• 1601 – majestic.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Great dignity or stateliness; grandeur.
2. Supreme authority or power.
3. (His, Her, Your Majesty) A title for a king or queen.
4. The sovereignty and power of God.

Word family

• majestic
• lese majesty

Related words

• major
• magnitude
• mayor
• master

Usage notes

In Westmorland dialect, majesty meant a rage or passion.^[8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)