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majesty

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Pronunciation

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

Etymology

It is 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

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)