sovereignty definition |Dictionary.com

sovereignty

8 dictionary results for: sovereignty

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

sov·er·eign·ty

[sov-rin-tee, suhv-] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -ties.

1.	the quality or state of being sovereign.

2.	the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign; royalty.

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

4.	rightful status, independence, or prerogative.

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

[Origin: 1300–50; ME soverainte < AF sovereynete (OF soverainete), equiv. to soverain sovereign + -ete -ty²

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

sov·er·eign·ty (sŏv'ər-ĭn-tē, sŏv'rĭn-) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. sov·er·eign·ties

Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.
Royal rank, authority, or power.
Complete independence and self-government.
A territory existing as an independent state.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sovereignty

c.1340, "pre-eminence," from Anglo-Fr. sovereynete, from O.Fr. souverainete, from soverain (see sovereign). Meaning "authority, rule" is recorded from c.1374; sense of "existence as an independent state" is from 1715.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

sovereignty
noun
1.	government free from external control
2.	royal authority; the dominion of a monarch [syn: reign]
3.	the authority of a state to govern another state

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American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: sov·er·eign·ty
Variant: also sov·ran·ty /'sä-vr&n-tE, 's&-, -v&-r&n-/
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 a : supreme power esp. over a body politic b : freedom from external control : AUTONOMY
2 : one that is sovereign; especially : an autonomous state

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sovereignty

Sov"er*eign*ty\, n.; pl. Sovereignties. [OE. soverainetee, OF. sovrainet['e], F. souverainet['e].] The quality or state of being sovereign, or of being a sovereign; the exercise of, or right to exercise, supreme power; dominion; sway; supremacy; independence; also, that which is sovereign; a sovereign state; as, Italy was formerly divided into many sovereignties.

Woman desiren to have sovereignty As well over their husband as over their love. --Chaucer.

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Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sovereignty

of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15-23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 4:11).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

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