English Explanatory Dictionary

sovereign

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Exercising power of rule.
  2. Exceptional in quality.
  3. Extremely potent or effective (of a medicine, remedy etc.).
  4. Having supreme, ultimate power.
  5. Princely; royal.
  6. Predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount.
noun
  1. A monarch; the ruler of a country.
  2. One who is not a subject to a ruler or nation.
  3. Ellipsis of sovereign citizen.
  4. A gold coin of the United Kingdom, with a nominal value of one pound sterling but in practice used as a bullion coin.
  5. A former Australian gold coin, minted from 1855–1931, of one pound value.
  6. A very large champagne bottle with the capacity of about 25 liters, equivalent to 33+¹⁄₃ standard bottles.
  7. Any butterfly of the tribe Nymphalini, or genus Basilarchia, eg., ursula, viceroy.
  8. A large, garish ring; a sovereign ring.
verb
  1. To rule over as a sovereign.
noun
  1. The title of a monarch.
  2. God, the supreme being who has power over all creation.
name
  1. A surname from German.

Pronunciation

/ˈsɒv.ɹɪn/ /ˈsɑv(ə)ɹɪn/ /ˈsɑvɚn/ en-us-sovereign.ogg

Word forms

sovereign more sovereign most sovereign soveraign soveraigne sovran sovring sovrin sovereigns sovereigning sovereigned

Etymology

From Middle English sovereyn, from Old French soverain (whence also modern French souverain), from Vulgar Latin *superānus (compare Italian sovrano, Spanish soberano) from Latin super (“above”). Spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with reign. Doublet of soprano, from the same Latin root via Italian. Doublet of souverain. See also suzerain, foreign.

Synonyms

autonomous supreme

Related words

half sovereign

Derived words

cosovereign intersovereign intrasovereign nonsovereign omnisovereign sovereign bond sovereign citizen sovereign debt sovereigndom sovereigness sovereignhood sovereign immunity sovereignism sovereignist sovereignization sovereignize sovereignly sovereignness sovereign ring sovereignship sovereign state sovereign territory sovereign wealth fund undersovereign unsovereign quarter sovereign sovereignty

Translations

French: souverain Nepali: सार्वभौम Portuguese: soberano Portuguese: soberana
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