MAJESTY

stateliness, majesty, loftiness

(noun) impressiveness in scale or proportion

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

majesty (countable and uncountable, plural majesties)

The quality of being impressive and great.

Etymology

Pronoun

Majesty (Majesties)

a term of address for royalty and imperiality

Usage notes

A king or queen is usually styled "Your Majesty" or "Your Royal Majesty", although in earlier times other forms were used, such as "Your Grace". An emperor or empress is styled "Your Imperial Majesty".

Occasionally other variations are used. The queen of Great Britain is sometimes called "Her Britannic Majesty"; the King and Queen of Spain "Their Most Catholic Majesties"; the King of Hawai'i "His Oceanic Majesty".

Source: Wiktionary


Maj"es*ty, n.; pl. Majesties. Etym: [OE. magestee, F. majesté, L. majestas, fr. an old compar. of magnus great. See Major, Master.]

Definition: The dignity and authority of sovereign power; quality or state which inspires awe or reverence; grandeur; exalted dignity, whether proceeding from rank, character, or bearing; imposing loftiness; stateliness; -- usually applied to the rank and dignity of sovereigns. The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty. Ps. xciii. 1. No sovereign has ever represented the majesty of great state with more dignity and grace. Macaulay.

2. Hence, used with the possessive pronoun, the title of an emperor, king or queen; -- in this sense taking a plural; as, their majesties attended the concert. In all the public writs which he [Emperor Charles V.] now issued as King of Spain, he assumed the title of Majesty, and required it from his subjects as a mark of respect. Before that time all the monarchs of Europe were satisfied with the appellation of Highness or Grace. Robertson.

3. Dignity; elevation of manner or style. Dryden.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Coffee Trivia

In 1884, Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, demonstrated the first working example of an espresso machine.

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