| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| sovereign |
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| SYLLABICATION: | sov·er·eign |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  s v  r- n, svrn |
| NOUN: | 1. One that exercises supreme, permanent authority, especially in a nation or other governmental unit, as: a. A king, queen, or other noble person who serves as chief of state; a ruler or monarch. b. A national governing council or committee. 2. A nation that governs territory outside its borders. 3. A gold coin formerly used in Great Britain. | | ADJECTIVE: | 1. Self-governing; independent: a sovereign state. 2. Having supreme rank or power: a sovereign prince. 3. Paramount; supreme: Her sovereign virtue is compassion. 4a. Of superlative strength or efficacy: a sovereign remedy. b. Unmitigated: sovereign contempt. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English soverain, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *super nus, from Latin super, above. See uper in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | sover·eign·ly —ADVERB
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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