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Sovereignty
Definitions
- 1 The quality or state of being sovereign.; Of a ruler (especially a monarch): supreme authority or dominion over something. countable, uncountable
"[…] Zephyrus the VVeſterne vvind being in loue vvith her [Chloris], and coueting her to vvyfe, gaue her for a dovvrie, the chiefedome and ſoueraigntye of al flovvers and greene herbes, grovving on earth."
- 2 the authority of a state to govern another state wordnet
- 3 The quality or state of being sovereign.; Of a nation or other polity: the state of being able to control resources, make laws independently, and otherwise govern itself without the coercion or concurrence of other polities. broadly, countable, uncountable
"Sovereignty, as a matter of right, appertains to the Nation only, and not to any individual; and a Nation has at all times an inherent indefeaſible right to aboliſh any form of Government it finds inconvenient, and eſtabliſh ſuch as accords vvith its intereſt, diſpoſition, and happineſs."
- 4 government free from external control wordnet
- 5 The quality or state of being sovereign.; Of a person: the liberty to decide one's actions and thoughts. broadly, countable, uncountable
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- 6 royal authority; the dominion of a monarch wordnet
- 7 The quality or state of being sovereign.; Pre-eminent or superior excellence; also, superior ability to achieve something; mastery. countable, uncountable
"[His head,] Wherein by curious ſoueraigntie of Art, / Are fixt his piercing inſtruments of ſight: / Whose fiery circles beare encompaſſed / A heauen of heauenly bodies in their Spheares: […]"
- 8 A territory under the rule of a sovereign; an independent or self-governing nation or other polity. countable
"Theſe Expences […] vvould not for the preſent, Rebus ſic ſtantibus [with things thus standing], become this King, vvhoſe fame and honour (as all other Sovereignties, ſo his in particular) ſtood more upon Reputation than profit; […]"
Etymology
PIE word *upér From Late Middle English sovereynte, souvereynte [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman sovereyneté, soverentee, and Old French soveraineté, souveraineté (modern French souveraineté), from soverain + -té (suffix forming nouns, often denoting a property or quality). Soverain is derived from Vulgar Latin *superānus (“chief; sovereign”), from Latin super (“above; on top of”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“above, over”)) + -ānus (“suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, usually denoting a relationship of origin, position, or possession”)). The English word is analysable as sovereign + -ty (suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives).
See also for "sovereignty"
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