- Sovereign
- Sovereign Sov"er*eign (? or ?; 277), a. [OE. soverain,
sovereyn, OF. soverain, suvrain, F. souverain, LL. superanus,
fr. L. superus that is above, upper, higher, fr. super above.
See {Over}, {Super}, and cf. {Soprano}. The modern spelling
is due to a supposed connection with reign.]
1. Supreme or highest in power; superior to all others;
chief; as, our sovereign prince.
[1913 Webster]
2. Independent of, and unlimited by, any other; possessing, or entitled to, original authority or jurisdiction; as, a sovereign state; a sovereign discretion. [1913 Webster]
3. Princely; royal. ``Most sovereign name.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]
At Babylon was his sovereign see. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
4. Predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount. [1913 Webster]
We acknowledge him [God] our sovereign good. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]
5. Efficacious in the highest degree; effectual; controlling; as, a sovereign remedy. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
Such a sovereign influence has this passion upon the regulation of the lives and actions of men. --South. [1913 Webster]
{Sovereign state}, a state which administers its own government, and is not dependent upon, or subject to, another power. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.