English Reference
noun · pronoun

majesty

n. · pron.
US /ˈmædʒəsti/ UK /mˈædʒəsti/ majesty UK spelling majesties, majesty's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.the quality of being very impressive, powerful, or beautiful.

    n.the quality of being impressive, great, or dignified in appearance or manner.

    Simple

    The hikers stopped to admire the majesty of the snow-covered mountains.

    In context

    The sheer majesty of the cathedral's vaulted ceiling left the tourists in a state of silent awe.

    insignificancemodesty
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    pron.a title used when you speak to or about a king or queen.

    pron.a formal term of address or reference for a monarch of royal or imperial rank.

    Simple

    The ambassador bowed low and said, 'Your Majesty, it is an honour.'

    In context

    The protocol officer reminded the guests that they must wait for Her Majesty to be seated before taking their own places.

    Usage

    Capitalised when used as a title; usually preceded by 'Your', 'His', or 'Her'.


From an alternative capitalization of English majesty, from Middle English maieste, mageste, from Old French majesté, from Latin māiestās, derived from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂s (“great”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin ine-pro *meǵh₂s
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated