reserved power

American  

noun

1. a political power that a constitution reserves exclusively to the jurisdiction of a particular political authority.

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Etymology

Origin of reserved power

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

"Illinois courts, therefore, have rejected the argument that the state retains an implied or reserved power to diminish or impair pension benefits."

From Chicago Tribune • Nov. 22, 2014

The Act reserved power of resumption during the currency of the lease, but the Opposition contended that the power would never be exercised.

From Our First Half-Century: A Review of Queensland Progress Based Upon Official Information by Queensland

Able and capable suggest general ability and reserved power, able being the higher word of the two.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by Fernald, James Champlin

Nullification, as he used daily to declare, was a "reserved power."

From Famous Americans of Recent Times by Parton, James

As he had matured in years he had developed this reserved power.

From The Sins of the Father A Romance of the South by Dixon, Thomas