lettre de cachet
noun
let·tre de ca·chet
ˈle-trə-də-ˌka-ˈshā 
plural lettres de cachet
ˈle-trə(z)-də-ˌka-ˈshā
: a letter bearing an official seal and usually authorizing imprisonment without trial of a named person
Examples of lettre de cachet in a Sentence
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Sade would remain imprisoned until the Revolution abolished the lettre de cachet in 1790.
—
Mitchell Abidor, The New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2020
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Mitchell Abidor, The New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Lettre de cachet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lettre%20de%20cachet. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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