1.
a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
2.
a person who has supreme power or authority.
3.
a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.
4.
a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.
5.
belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereign authority; royal.
6.
having supreme rank, power, or authority.
7.
supreme; preeminent; indisputable:
a sovereign right.
8.
greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.
9.
being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.
10.
efficacious; potent:
a sovereign remedy.
1250-1300
1250-1300; Middle English soverain (alteration by influence of reign) < Old French soverain < Vulgar Latin *superānus, equivalent to Latin super- super- + -ānus -an
sovereignly, adverb
nonsovereign, noun, adjective
nonsovereignly, adverb
quasi-sovereign, adjective
subsovereign, noun, adjective
supersovereign, adjective, noun
undersovereign, noun
unsovereign, adjective
1. emperor, empress, potentate. 3. government. 5. regal, majestic, imperial, princely, monarchical, kingly, queenly. 7. chief, paramount, principal, predominant. 10. effective, effectual.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
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Examples from the Web for sovereign
Contemporary Examples
But the group has been paying close attention to the sovereign citizens for a while.
The Reservation is sovereign Indian land, and the grizzly is a sacred animal to these tribes.
Because Vatican City is a sovereign nation, it has its own police and investigative units.
Paudert is sure to acknowledge that sovereign citizens have the same rights as all Americans and that they are not all dangerous.
So no one talks about the pending death of the sovereign, and worse, no one permits themselves to even think about it.
Historical Examples
Columbus and Corts died in their beds, but they were victims of their sovereign's neglect.
In Britain this coin became a sign of value and lost its reference to the sovereign.
I do not think that the like ever happened to any man who was not sovereign of the country.
Yes, marriage is a sovereign medicine for both of these patients.
If they were destitute of this right, they would not be sovereign.
British Dictionary definitions for sovereign
noun
1.
a person exercising supreme authority, esp a monarch
2.
a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling
adjective
3.
supreme in rank or authority: a sovereign lord
4.
excellent or outstanding: a sovereign remedy
5.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a sovereign
6.
independent of outside authority: a sovereign state
sovereignly, adverb
C13: from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin superānus (unattested), from Latin super above; also influenced by reign
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for sovereign
n.
late 13c., "superior, ruler, master," from Old French soverain "sovereign, lord, ruler," noun use of adjective meaning "highest, supreme, chief" (see sovereign (adj.)). Meaning "gold coin worth 22s 6d" first recorded late 15c.; value changed 1817 to 1 pound.
adj.
early 14c., "great, superior, supreme," from Old French soverain "highest, supreme, chief," from Vulgar Latin *superanus "chief, principal" (source also of Spanish soberano, Italian soprano), from Latin super "over" (see super-). Spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with reign. Milton spelled it sovran, as though from Italian sovrano. Of remedies or medicines, "potent in a high degree," from late 14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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