Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Sovereign?

\Sov"er*eign\ (? or ?; 277), a. [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.] 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. {Sovereign state}, a state which administers its own government, and is not dependent upon, or subject to, another power.
\Sov"er*eign\ (? or ?; 277), n. 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. (Zo["o]l.) Any butterfly of the tribe {Nymphalidi}, or genus {Basilarchia}, as the ursula and the viceroy. Syn: King; prince; monarch; potentate; emperor.