sedition

sedition
/si dish"euhn/, n.
1. incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government.
2. any action, esp. in speech or writing, promoting such discontent or rebellion.
3. Archaic. rebellious disorder.
[1325-75; < L sedition- (s. of seditio), equiv. to sed- SE- + -ition- a going (it(us), ptp. of ire to go + -ion- -ION); r. ME sedicioun < AF < L, as above]
Syn. 1. insurrection, mutiny. See treason.

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Crime of creating a revolt, disturbance, or violence against lawful civil authority with the intent to cause its overthrow or destruction.

Because it is limited to organizing and encouraging opposition to government rather than directly participating in its overthrow, sedition is regarded as falling one step short of the more serious crime of treason. In the U.S. the display of a certain flag or the advocacy of a particular movement, such as syndicalism, anarchism, or communism, has periodically been declared seditious. More recently, the courts have applied a more stringent test of sedition to ensure that constitutional guarantees regarding freedom of speech are not abridged. See also Alien and Sedition Acts.

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law
      crime against the state. Though sedition may have the same ultimate effect as treason, it is generally limited to the offense of organizing or encouraging opposition to government in a manner (such as in speech or writing) that falls short of the more dangerous offenses constituting treason.

      The publication of seditious writing (“seditious libel”) or the utterance of seditious speech (“seditious words”) was made a crime in English common law. Modern statutes have been more specific. The display of a certain flag or the advocacy of a particular movement such as criminal syndicalism or anarchy have been declared from time to time to be seditious. In the United States after World War II, loyalty oaths were imposed for some government officials, and investigations and dismissals of certain public employees were made on the basis of their associations with suspect causes and groups. See also treason.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • sédition — [ sedisjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1209; lat. seditio ♦ Révolte concertée contre l autorité publique. « on ne trouve qu une sédition à Gand, en 1536, aisément réprimée, sans grande effusion de sang » (Taine). ⇒ agitation, insurrection, révolte. Sédition… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • sedition — se·di·tion /si di shən/ n [Latin seditio, literally, separation, from sed apart + itio act of going, from ire to go]: the crime of creating a revolt, disturbance, or violence against lawful civil authority with the intent to cause its overthrow… …   Law dictionary

  • sedition — SEDITION. s. f. Emotion populaire, souslevement contre la puissance legitime. Grande, furieuse, horrible sedition. durant la sedition. cela est capable de faire sedition. esmouvoir, exciter, allumer, fomenter, entretenir la sedition. appaiser,… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • sedition — sedition, treason are comparable when they mean an offense against a state to which or a sovereign to whom one owes allegiance. Sedition applies to conduct that is not manifested in an overt act but that incites commotion and resistance to lawful …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Sedition — Se*di tion, n. [OE. sedicioun, OF. sedition, F. s[ e]dition, fr. L. seditio, originally, a going aside; hence, an insurrectionary separation; pref. se , sed , aside + itio a going, fr. ire, itum, to go. Cf. {Issue}.] 1. The raising of commotion… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sedition — Sedition, Seditio. Faire sedition en une cité, Seditionem in ciuitatem inducere. Esmouvoir sedition, Seditionem facere, conflare, concitare, commouere. Tascher à esmouvoir quelque sedition, Quaerere locum seditionis. S addonner à faire seditions …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • sedition — [si dish′ən] n. [ME sedicion < OFr < L seditio < sed , apart (see SECEDE) + itio, a going < ire, to go: see YEAR] 1. the stirring up of discontent, resistance, or rebellion against the government in power 2. Archaic revolt or… …   English World dictionary

  • Sedition — (v. lat. Seditĭo), Empörung, Aufstand; daher Seditios, aufrührerisch, unruhig; Seditiosität, Empörungs , Aufwiegelungssucht …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Sedition — (lat.), Empörung; seditiös, aufrührerisch …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Sedition — (lat.), Empörung, Aufstand; seditiös, aufrührerisch …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • sedition — (n.) late 14c., rebellion, from O.Fr. sedicion, from L. seditionem (nom. seditio) civil disorder, dissention, lit. a going apart, separation, from se apart (see SECRET (Cf. secret)) + itio a going, from pp. of ire to go (see …   Etymology dictionary

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