sovereign Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right
    monarch; crowned head.
  2. adjective satellite (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces
    self-governing; independent; autonomous.
    • an autonomous judiciary
    • a sovereign state
  3. adjective satellite greatest in status or authority or power
    supreme.
    • a supreme tribunal

WordNet

Sov"er*eign adjective
Etymology
OE. soverain, sovereyn, OF. soverain, suvrain, F. souverain, LL. superanus, fr. L. superus that is above, upper, higher, fr. super above. See Over, Super, and cf. Soprano. The modern spelling is due to a supposed connection with reign.
Definitions
  1. Supreme or highest in power; superior to all others; chief; as, our sovereign prince.
  2. Independent of, and unlimited by, any other; possessing, or entitled to, original authority or jurisdiction; as, a sovereign state; a sovereign discretion.
  3. Princely; royal. "Most sovereign name." Shak.
    At Babylon was his sovereign see. Chaucer.
  4. Predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount.
    We acknowledge him [God] our sovereign good. Hooker.
  5. Efficacious in the highest degree; effectual; controlling; as, a sovereign remedy. Dryden.
    Such a sovereign influence has this passion upon the regulation of the lives and actions of men. South.
Sov"er*eign noun
Definitions
  1. The person, body, or state in which independent and supreme authority is vested; especially, in a monarchy, a king, queen, or emperor.
    No question is to be made but that the bed of the Mississippi belongs to the sovereign, that is, to the nation. Jefferson.
  2. A gold coin of Great Britain, on which an effigy of the head of the reigning king or queen is stamped, valued at one pound sterling, or about $4.86.
  3. (Zoöl.) Any butterfly of the tribe Nymphalidi, or genus Basilarchia, as the ursula and the viceroy. Syn. -- King; prince; monarch; potentate; emperor.

Webster 1913