sovereign

See also: Sovereign

English

Alternative forms

soveraign, soveraigne (archaic)
sovran (archaic)
sovring, sovrin (pronunciation spelling)

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. See also suzerain, foreign.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɒv.ɹɪn/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɑv(ə)ɹɪn/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɒvɹɪn, -ɑvɹɪn, -ɑvəɹɪn
Hyphenation: sov‧e‧reign

Adjective

sovereign (comparative more sovereign, superlative most sovereign)

Exercising power of rule.
sovereign nation
Exceptional in quality.
Her voice was her sovereign talent.
(now rare, pharmacology) Extremely potent or effective (of a medicine, remedy etc.).
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:
  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 […]
- 1876, John Davies, “[Tobacco.]”, in Alexander B[alloch] Grosart, editor, The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Edited, with Memorial-Introduction and Notes, by the Rev. Alexander B. Grosart. In Two Volumes (Early English Poets), volume II, London: Chatto and Windus, Piccadilly, OCLC 752538909, page 226:
  Homer of Moly and Nepenthe singes:
  Moly, the gods most soveraigne hearbe divine.
  Nepenth Hellen's drink, which gladnes brings,—
  Hart's greife repells, and doth y^e witts refine.
- 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 6484883, (please specify the page number):
  a sovereign remedy
- 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), 6th edition, London: […] J[ames] Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, […], published 1727, OCLC 21766567:
  Such a sovereign influence has this passion upon the regulation of the lives and actions of men.
Having supreme, ultimate power.
Gentlemen, may I introduce Her Royal Highness, the Sovereign and Most Imperial Majesty, Empress Elizabeth of Vicron.
- 1972, Brian Potter, Dennis Lambert (lyrics and music), “Keeper of the Castle”, performed by The Four Tops:
  You're the keeper of the castle
  So be a father to your children
  The provider of all their daily needs
  Like a sovereign Lord protector
  Be their destiny's director
  And they'll do well to follow where you lead.
Princely; royal.
- c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The VVinters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i]:
  You pity not the state, nor the remembrance of his most sovereign name.
Predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount.
- 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, J[ohn] S[penser], editor, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, OCLC 931154958, (please specify the page):
  We acknowledge him [God] our sovereign good.

Synonyms

autonomous
supreme

Derived terms

sovereignly
sovereign citizen
sovereign state

Translations

exercising power of rule

Albanian: sovran (sq)
Arabic: مُسْتَقِلّ‎ (ar) (mustaqill)
Armenian: ինքնիշխան (hy) (inkʿnišxan)
Asturian: soberanu (ast)
Azerbaijani: suveren, müstəqil (az)
Belarusian: сувэрэ́нны (suverénny)
Bulgarian: сувере́нен (bg) (suverénen)
Catalan: sobirà (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 自主的 (zh) (zìzhǔ de), 獨立的／独立的 (zh) (dúlì de)
Czech: svrchovaný (cs), suverénní
Danish: suveræn
Dutch: soeverein (nl)
Esperanto: suverena
Estonian: suveräänne
Finnish: itsenäinen (fi), suvereeni (fi), täysivaltainen (fi)
French: souverain (fr)
Galician: soberano
Georgian: სუვერენული (suverenuli)
German: souverän (de)
Greek: κυρίαρχος (el) (kyríarchos), ηγεμονικός (el) (igemonikós)
Ancient: ἀρχικός (arkhikós)
Hindi: स्वायत्त (hi) (svāyatt), सार्वभौम (hi) (sārvabhaum)
Hungarian: szuverén (hu)
Icelandic: fullvalda
Indonesian: berdaulat (id)
Interlingua: soveran
Irish: ardcheannasach, ceannasach
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), 自主的な (ja) (じしゅてきな, jishuteki na)
Kazakh: егемен (egemen), егеменді (egemendı)
Korean: 자주적(自主的) (ko) (jajujeok), 독립되다 (ko) (dongnipdoeda)
Kyrgyz: суверендүү (ky) (suverendüü), суверенитеттүү (ky) (suverenitettüü), эгемен (egemen), эгемендик (egemendik)
Latvian: suverēns
Lithuanian: suverenus
Macedonian: суверен m (suveren)
Manx: ard-reeoil
Norwegian:
Bokmål: suveren
Occitan: sobeiran (oc)
Pashto: مستقل‎ (mostaqel)
Persian: مستقل‎ (fa) (mostaqell)
Polish: suwerenny (pl), niepodległy (pl), niezależny (pl)
Portuguese: soberano (pt)
Romanian: suveran (ro)
Russian: сувере́нный (ru) (suverénnyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: су̀верен
Roman: sùveren (sh)
Slovak: zvrchovaný, suverénny
Slovene: suveren
Spanish: soberano (es)
Swedish: självständig (sv), suverän (sv)
Tajik: мустақил (mustaqil)
Telugu: సార్వభౌమ (sārvabhauma), సర్వసత్తాక (sarvasattāka)
Turkish: egemen (tr), müstakil (tr)
Ukrainian: сувере́нний (suverénnyj)
Uyghur: مۇستەقىل‎ (musteqil)
Uzbek: suveren (uz), mustaqil (uz)
Volapük: soveränik

exceptional in quality

Bulgarian: превъзхо́ден (bg) (prevǎzhóden)
Finnish: erinomainen (fi), suvereeni (fi), ylivertainen (fi)
Italian: eccezionale (it), supremo (it) m
Japanese: 卓越した (ja) (たくえつした, takuetsu shita)
Romanian: suveran (ro) m
Russian: превосхо́дный (ru) (prevosxódnyj)
Swedish: suverän (sv)

Noun

sovereign (plural sovereigns)

A sovereign

A monarch; the ruler of a country.
- 1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto)‎, London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], OCLC 236076664:
  The petty ſtreames that paie a dailie det
  To their ſalt ſoveraigne with their freſh fals haſt,
  Adde to his flowe, but alter not his taſt.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 242-249:
  Is this the Region, this the Soil, the Clime,
  Said then the lost Archangel, this the seat
  That we must change for Heaven?, this mournful gloom
  For that celestial light? Be it so, since hee
  Who now is Sovran can dispose and bid
  What shall be right : fardest from him is best
  Whom reason hath equald, force hath made supream
  Above his equals. […]
- 1785, Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia
  No question is to be made but that the bed of the Missisippi^[sic] belongs to the sovereign, that is, to the nation.
One who is not a subject to a ruler or nation.
1. Short for sovereign citizen.
A gold coin of the United Kingdom, with a nominal value of one pound sterling but in practice used as a bullion coin.
A former Australian gold coin, minted from 1855–1931, of one pound value.
A very large champagne bottle with the capacity of about 25 liters, equivalent to 33+¹⁄₃ standard bottles.
Any butterfly of the tribe Nymphalini, or genus Basilarchia, as the ursula and the viceroy.
(UK, slang) A large, garish ring; a sovereign ring.
- 2004, December 11, "Birkenhead, Merseyside" BBC Voices recording (0:06:52)
  No, someone who wears loads of sovereigns as well loads of gold and has uh a curly perm and peroxide blonde hair, orange, orange sunbed skin and a fringe like this blow-dried to death, that’s a ‘scally’.
- 2011 July 1, Caroline Davies, “Harrods 'ladies' code' drives out sales assistant”, in The Guardian‎:
  No visible tattoos, sovereigns, mismatched jewellery, scrunchies, large clips or hoop earrings.

Hyponyms

(monarch): king, queen

Derived terms

sovereignty

Descendants

→ Irish: sabhran
→ Russian: соверен (soveren)
→ Scottish Gaelic: sòbharan
→ Welsh: sofren

Translations

monarch

Bashkir: батша (batşa), хаким (xakim)
Bulgarian: сувере́н m (suverén), повели́тел (bg) m (povelítel)
Catalan: sobirà (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 君主 (zh) (jūnzhǔ)
Czech: vládce (cs) m, panovník (cs) m, suverén (cs) m
Dutch: vorst (nl) m
Esperanto: suvereno (eo)
Finnish: monarkki (fi), hallitsija (fi)
French: souverain (fr) m
Galician: soberano m, soberana f
German: Souverän (de)
Greek: ηγεμόνας (el) (igemónas)
Hungarian: uralkodó (hu)
Ido: rejo (io)
Indonesian: penguasa (id)
Interlingua: soverano
Irish: rí (ga) m, banríon f
Italian: sovrano (it)
Japanese: 君主 (ja) (くんしゅ, kunshu)
Korean: 군주 (ko) (gunju)
Macedonian: владетел m (vladetel), суверен m (suveren)
Malayalam: സർവ്വാധികാരി (saṟvvādhikāri)
Manx: ard-ree m
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: владꙑка m (vladyka)
Polish: suweren (pl) m, władca (pl) m
Portuguese: suserano (pt) m, soberano (pt) m, soberana (pt) f
Romanian: suveran (ro) m
Russian: сувере́н (ru) m (suverén), власти́тель (ru) m (vlastítelʹ), мона́рх (ru) m (monárx), влады́ка (ru) m (vladýka), повели́тель (ru) m (povelítelʹ), госуда́рь (ru) m (gosudárʹ)
Spanish: soberano (es)
Swedish: regent (sv) c, monark (sv)
Tagalog: higpuno
Tocharian B: kamartīke
Turkish: kral (tr)
Volapük: soveran

one who is not a subject to a ruler or nation

French: souverain (fr) m
Nepali: सार्वभौम (sārbabhaum)
Portuguese: soberano (pt) m, soberana (pt) f

coin

Bulgarian: суверен m (suveren), златна лира f (zlatna lira)
Catalan: sobirà (ca) m
Finnish: punnan kultaraha
French: souverain (fr) m
Irish: sabhran m
Macedonian: соверин m (soverin)
Manx: punt airhey m
Maori: awherangi, karaune
Polish: suweren (pl) m
Russian: со́верен (ru) m (sóveren)
Scottish Gaelic: sòbharan m, sòbhran m
Welsh: sofren f

very large champagne bottle

Finnish: sovereign (fi)
French: souverain (fr) m

Verb

sovereign (third-person singular simple present sovereigns, present participle sovereigning, simple past and past participle sovereigned)

(transitive) To rule over as a sovereign.

Anagrams

Rovignese, virogenes