sovereign

[sov-rin, sov-er-in, suhv-] /ˈsɒv rɪn, ˈsɒv ər ɪn, ˈsʌv-/
noun
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.
adjective
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.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English soverain (alteration by influence of reign) < Old French soverain < Vulgar Latin *superānus, equivalent to Latin super- super- + -ānus -an
Related forms
sovereignly, adverb
nonsovereign, noun, adjective
nonsovereignly, adverb
quasi-sovereign, adjective
subsovereign, noun, adjective
supersovereign, adjective, noun
undersovereign, noun
unsovereign, adjective
Synonyms
1. emperor, empress, potentate. 3. government. 5. regal, majestic, imperial, princely, monarchical, kingly, queenly. 7. chief, paramount, principal, predominant. 10. effective, effectual.
Examples from the web for sovereign
  • Governments getting loans from sovereign funds only makes the debt situation worse.
  • Perhaps that s why their governments sovereign funds are buying huge tracts of productive land in the tropics for food.
  • Insufficient measures to permit an escape from the adverse feedback loop between sovereign debt and bank debt.
  • Or use strategic partnerships and sovereign relationships to that.
  • They rightly see no reason why a sovereign country cannot develop next-generation defense systems which threaten no-one.
  • Counters resembling a sovereign and a half-sovereign.
  • Geographically there are two sovereign nations in between them.
  • Part of this is because of banking regulations and some of this is because they're not sure how to value the sovereign debt.
  • Some sovereign funds are also getting into the buy-out business.
  • The immediate source of trouble is the euro area, which is struggling to stop the spread of its sovereign-debt crisis.
British Dictionary definitions for sovereign

sovereign

/ˈsɒvrɪn/
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
Derived Forms
sovereignly, adverb
Word Origin
C13: from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin superānus (unattested), from Latin super above; also influenced by reign
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.