sovereignty

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsɒvɹənti/, /-ɹɪn-/ (UK); /ˈsɑv(ə)ɹənti/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English soverainte, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sovereynete (Old French souverainete),^[2][3][4] from soverain (“sovereign”) (see sovereign) and -té,^[2][3] ultimately from Latin super (“above”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Supremacy or pre-eminence in excellence: about 1340 in the OED;^[5] the late 14th century in Etymonline, for pre-eminence and for supreme authority.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Supreme power or authority is from about 1374,^[5] and the rank and power of a monarch from 1387.^[5] A territory under a sovereign, an independent state, is from 1715,^[2][5] and the supreme controlling power in a community without a monarch by 1860.^[2][5] The variant sovereignness (1580s) seems to have fallen out of use.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1340 – pre-eminence.^[5]
• c. 1374 – supreme authority.^[5]
• 1387 – royal authority.^[5]
• 1715 – an independent state.^[2][5]
• 1860 – supreme power without a monarch.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Supreme power or authority, especially of a state over its own affairs.
2. The authority or rank of a monarch.
3. Complete independence and self-government.
4. An independent state.

Related words

• nonsovereign
• sovereign
• unsovereign
• suzerainty
• supreme
• super

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press