sovereign

Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin root *superānus (cf. Italian sovrano, Spanish soberano) from Latin super (“above”). Spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with reign.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈsɒv.rɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

sovereign (comparative more sovereign, superlative most sovereign)

1. Exercising power of rule.

   sovereign nation

2. Exceptional in quality.
3. (now rare) Extremely potent or effective (of a medicine, remedy etc.).
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.v:

     The soueraigne weede betwixt two marbles plaine / She pownded small, and did in peeces bruze, / And then atweene her lilly handes twaine, / Into his wound the iuyce thereof did scruze [...].

4. Having supreme, ultimate power.

Derived terms

• sovereignly

Synonyms

• autonomous
• supreme

Translations

exercising power of rule

Catalan: sobirà Chinese: Mandarin: 自主的 (zh) (zìzhǔ de), 獨立的 (zh), 独立的 (zh) (dúlì de) Czech: svrchovaný (cs) Dutch: soeverein (nl) Esperanto: suverena Finnish: itsenäinen (fi), suvereeni (fi) French: souverain (fr) Galician: soberano (gl) German: souverän (de) Indonesian: berdaulat (id) Interlingua: soveran Italian: sovrano (it)

Japanese: 独立した (ja) (どくりつした, dokuritsu-shita), 自立した (ja) (じりつした, jiritsu-shita) Macedonian: суверен (mk) (súveren) m. Manx: ard-reeoil (gv) Occitan: sobeiran (oc) Portuguese: soberano (pt) Romanian: suveran (ro) Russian: суверенный (ru) (suverénnyj) Spanish: soberano (es) Swedish: självständig (sv), suverän (sv) Telugu: సార్వభౌమ (saarvabhauma), సర్వసత్తాక (sarvasattaaka) Turkish: egemen (tr) Volapük: soveränik

exceptional in quality

Finnish: erinomainen (fi), suvereeni (fi) Japanese: 卓越した (ja) (takuetsu shita)

Swedish: suverän (sv)

Noun

sovereign (plural sovereigns)

1. A monarch; the ruler of a country.
2. One who is not a subject to a ruler or nation.
3. A gold coin minted by the United Kingdom.
4. A very large champagne bottle with the capacity of about 25 liters, equivalent to 33⅓ standard bottles.

Synonyms

• king
• monarch
• queen

Derived terms

• sovereignty

Translations

monarch

Catalan: sobirà m. Chinese: Mandarin: 君主 (zh) (jūnzhǔ) Czech: vládce (cs) m., panovník (cs) m. Esperanto: suvereno (eo) Finnish: monarkki (fi), hallitsija (fi), valtias (fi) French: souverain (fr) m. Galician: soberano (gl) m., soberana (gl) f. German: Souverän (de) Hungarian: uralkodó (hu) Ido: rejo (io) Indonesian: penguasa (id)

Interlingua: soverano Italian: sovrano (it) Japanese: 君主 (ja) (くんしゅ, kunshu) Macedonian: владетел (mk) (vládetel) m., суверен (mk) (súveren) m. Manx: ard-ree (gv) m. Portuguese: suserano (pt) m. Russian: суверен (ru) (suverén) m., властитель (ru) (vlastítel') m., монарх (ru) (monárx) m. Spanish: soberano (es) Swedish: regent (sv) c. Volapük: soveran

coin

Catalan: sobirà m. Finnish: punnan kultaraha Macedonian: соверин (mk) (sóverin) m.

Manx: punt airhey (gv) m. Russian: соверен (ru) (sóveren) m.

See also

• half sovereign/half-sovereign