sovereign

sov·er·eign

Use sovereign in a sentence

adjective

Sovereign is defined as ruler with unlimited power, the chief or greatest, or independent.
1. A king is an example of someone with sovereign powers.
2. The value that is most important to a company is an example of something sovereign.
3. A country that has become independent is an example of something sovereign.

noun

The definition of a sovereign is a king or queen, or a 19th century gold coin used in the UK.
1. An example of a sovereign is Queen Elizabeth.
2. A British gold coin worth 20 shillings in 1895 is an example of a sovereign.

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"Sovereign." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Sovereign.

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Sovereign. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Sovereign

sovereign

above or superior to all others; chief; greatest; supreme
supreme in power, rank, or authority
of or holding the position of ruler; royal; reigning
independent of all others: a sovereign state
excellent; outstanding
very effectual, as a cure or remedy
Finance of or having to do with the economy or finances of a national government: Greece's sovereign debt

Origin of sovereign

Middle English soveraine from Old French from Vulgar Latin an unverified form superanus from Classical Latin super, above, over

a person who possesses sovereign authority or power; specif., a monarch or ruler
a British gold coin valued at 20 shillings or one pound sterling, no longer minted for circulation

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Link to this page

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MLA Style

"Sovereign." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Sovereign.

APA Style

Sovereign. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Sovereign

sovereign

noun

One that exercises supreme, permanent authority, especially in a nation or other governmental unit, as:
a. A king, queen, or other noble person who serves as chief of state; a ruler or monarch.
b. A national governing council or committee.
A nation that governs territory outside its borders.
A gold coin formerly used in Great Britain.

adjective

Self-governing; independent: a sovereign state.
Having supreme rank or power: a sovereign prince.
Paramount; supreme: Her sovereign virtue is compassion.
a. Of superlative strength or efficacy: a sovereign remedy.
b. Unmitigated: sovereign contempt.

Origin of sovereign

Middle English soverain from Old French from Vulgar Latin superānus from Latin super above ; see uper in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

sov′er·eign·ly
adverb

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Sovereign." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Sovereign.

APA Style

Sovereign. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Sovereign

Adjective

(comparative more sovereign, superlative most sovereign)

Exercising power of rule.
sovereign nation
Exceptional in quality.
(now rare) Extremely potent or effective (of a medicine, remedy etc.).
Having supreme, ultimate power.
Princely; royal.
Predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount.

Noun

(plural sovereigns)

A monarch; the ruler of a country.
One who is not a subject to a ruler or nation.
A gold coin formerly used in the United Kingdom.
A very large champagne bottle with the capacity of about 25 liters, equivalent to 33â…“ standard bottles.
Any butterfly of the tribe Nymphalini, or genus Basilarchia, as the ursula and the viceroy.

Origin

From Old French soverain (whence also modern French souverain), from Vulgar Latin root *superÄnus (cf. Italian sovrano, Spanish soberano) from Latin super (“above"). Spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with reign. See also suzerain.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.