Sedition

pardon any redundancy....or don't.

An agreement, communication, or other preliminary activity aimed at inciting treason or some lesser commotion against public authority; advocacy aimed at inciting or producing - and likely to incite or produce - imminent lawless action. *At common-law, sedition included defaming a member of the royal family or the government. The difference between sedition and treason is that the former is committed by preliminary steps, while the latter entails some overt act for carrying out the plan. But of course, if the plan is merely for some small commition, even accomplishing the plan does not amount to treason. - seditious, adj. Cf. TREASON.

Se*di"tion (?), n. [OE. sedicioun, OF. sedition, F. s'edition, 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 in a state, not amounting to insurrection; conduct tending to treason, but without an overt act; excitement of discontent against the government, or of resistance to lawful authority.

In soothing them, we nourish 'gainst our senate The cockle of rebellion, insolence, sedition. Shak.

Noisy demagogues who had been accused of sedition. Macaulay.

2.

Dissension; division; schism.

[Obs.]

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, . . . emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. Gal. v. 19, 20.

Syn. -- Insurrection; tumult; uproar; riot; rebellion; revolt. See Insurrection.

 

© Webster 1913.