high treason

high treason (uncountable)

1. Criminal disloyalty to one's country or a sovereign.
   • 1952, James Avery Joyce: Justice At Work: (this edition Pan 1957) Page 105.

     Formerly, the punishment for high treason was of a most barbarous character…. Women were burnt. A male traitor was dragged or drawn to the place of execution and hanged; but while still alive, he was cut down and disembowelled. His head was then severed from his body which was quartered. The head and quarters, which were at the Kings disposal, were usually exposed in some conspicuous place—the Temple Bar being a favourite spot—after being boiled in salt to prevent putrification and in cumin seed to prevent birds feasting on them.

2. (law) In some jurisdictions, a criminal offence of treason including features regarded as more severe than ordinary treason.
3. (hyperbolic) A betrayal portrayed as especially shocking.

• Formerly distinguished from petty treason or petit treason, which was not against the sovereign.

• “high treason”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “treason”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “treason”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

• high treason on Wikipedia.Wikipedia