Meanings
plural beds of justice
- historyA special parliamentary session headed by the king in pre-Revolutionary France, where royal edicts could be forcibly registered.
D'Argenson was prepared with advice. ‘A bed of justice will suffice, Highness.’
1949, Rafael Sabatini, The Gamester, Stratus Books 2001, p. 1371 more example
when [...] he himself announced that the king would hold a Bed of Justice to compel the instant registration of the necessary edicts, the Parliament became more exasperated than ever.
1866, Charles Duke Yonge, The History of France under the Bourbons, pages 43–4
Origin
- Frenchlit de justice
- Englishbed of justice
Calque of French lit de justice, referring to the throne occupied by the king when sitting in one of his judicial courts.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French lit de justice
- lit de justiceTranslations
Cite this entry
bed of justice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bed%20of%20justice
“bed of justice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bed%20of%20justice. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bed of justice,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bed%20of%20justice.
Source: bed of justice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.