sovereign means exercising power of rule. It carries an Arena rating of 1688, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sovereign ranks #141 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,518 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,852 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,921 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
sovereign is pronounced /ˈsɒv.ɹɪn/.
Why “sovereign” is a great word
Possessing supreme or ultimate power and authority, or the ruler who embodies it. From Middle English sovereyn, from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin *superānus ("chief, principal"), from Latin super ("above"), with its spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with 'reign.' Unlike "autonomous," which describes a self-governing independence, or "suzerain," which denotes a superior but limited overlordship, sovereign carries the absolute, unqualified weight of finality. It is the unappealable verdict, the border that admits no crossing, the singular face on the coin that decides what is currency and what is dross—a solitary elevation where every chain of command finds its first, and last, link.
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. Doublet of souverain. See also suzerain, foreign.
adj
- Exercising power of rule.e.g.“sovereign nation”
- Exceptional in quality.e.g.“Her voice was her sovereign talent.”
- Extremely potent or effective (of a medicine, remedy etc.).
- Having supreme, ultimate power.e.g.“Gentlemen, may I introduce Her Royal Highness, the Sovereign and Most Imperial Majesty, Empress Elizabeth of Vicron.”
- Princely; royal.e.g.“You pity not the state, nor the remembrance of his most sovereign name.” — c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, pu
- Predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount.e.g.“We acknowledge him [God] our sovereign good.” — [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
noun
- A monarch; the ruler of a country.
- One who is not a subject to a ruler or nation.
- 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, eg., ursula, viceroy.
- A large, garish ring; a sovereign ring.
- The title of a monarch.
- God, the supreme being who has power over all creation.e.g.“Alas! and did my Saviour bleed? / And did my Sovereign dye?” — 1707, Isaac Watts, “Godly Sorrow ariſing from the Sufferings of Chriſt”, in Hymns and Spiritual Songs, London: J. Humfreys, page 86:
verb
- To rule over as a sovereign.
name
- A surname from German.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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