sovereignty

[sov-rin-tee, suhv-]

noun, plural sov·er·eign·ties.

the quality or state of being sovereign, or of having supreme power or authority.

the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign;royal rank or position; royalty.

supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.

rightful status, independence, or prerogative.

a sovereign or independent state, community, or political unit.

Origin of sovereignty

1300–50; Middle English soverainte < Anglo-French sovereynete (Old French soverainete), equivalent to soverain sovereign + -ete -ty²

Related formsself-sov·er·eign·ty, nounsu·per·sov·er·eign·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for self-sovereignty

sovereignty

noun plural -ties

supreme and unrestricted power, as of a state

the position, dominion, or authority of a sovereign

an independent state

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for self-sovereignty

sovereignty

mid-14c., "pre-eminence," from Anglo-French sovereynete, Old French souverainete, from soverain (see sovereign (adj.)). Meaning "authority, rule, supremacy of power or rank" is recorded from late 14c.; sense of "existence as an independent state" is from 1715.

self-sovereignty in Culture

sovereignty

[(sov-ruhn-tee, sov-uhr-uhn-tee)]

A nation or state's supreme power within its borders. A government might respond, for example, to criticism from foreign governments of its treatment of its own citizens by citing its rights of sovereignty.