Nearby Words
noun
1.
a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
2.
a person who has sovereign power or authority.
3.
a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.
4.
a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.
adjective
5.
belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereignty; royal.
6.
having supreme rank, power, or authority.
7.
supreme; preeminent; indisputable: a sovereign right.
8.
greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.
9.
EXPANDbeing above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.
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Sovereign
is always a great word to know.
So is plebeian. Does it mean:
| common |
| an absolute ruler holding power exclusively |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English soverain (alteration by influence of reign) < Old French soverain < Vulgar Latin *superānus, equivalent to Latin super- super- + -ānus -an
1250–1300; Middle English soverain (alteration by influence of reign) < Old French soverain < Vulgar Latin *superānus, equivalent to Latin super- super- + -ānus -an
Related forms
sov·er·eign·ly, adverb
non·sov·er·eign, noun, adjective
non·sov·er·eign·ly, adverb
qua·si-sov·er·eign, adjective
sub·sov·er·eign, noun, adjective
EXPANDSynonyms
1. emperor, empress, potentate. 3. government. 5. regal, majestic, imperial, princely, monarchical, kingly, queenly. 7. chief, paramount, principal, predominant. 10. effective, effectual.
1. emperor, empress, potentate. 3. government. 5. regal, majestic, imperial, princely, monarchical, kingly, queenly. 7. chief, paramount, principal, predominant. 10. effective, effectual.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Sovereign
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sovereign
late 13c., from O.Fr. soverain, from V.L. *superanus "chief, principal," from L. super "over" (see super-). Spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with reign. Milton spelled it sovran, as though from It. sovrano. Meaning "gold coin worth 22s 6d" first recorded
EXPAND 1490s; value changed 1817 to 1 pound. As an adj., attested from early 14c.; of remedies or medicines, "potent in a high degree," from late 14c.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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