Meaning and Origin
What does the name Sovereign mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Sovereign
User Submitted Origins
English
45%
French
29%
Latin
13%
Scottish
6%
German
3%
African
3%
User Submitted Meanings
- According to a user from Pennsylvania, U.S., the name Sovereign means "God or thanos".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
adjective Sov"er*eign
Senses
- Supreme or highest in power; superior to all others; chief; as, our sovereign prince.
- Independent of, and unlimited by, any other; possessing, or entitled to, original authority or jurisdiction; as, a sovereign state; a sovereign discretion.
- Princely; royal."Most sovereignname." [Shak.]"At Babylon was his sovereign see." [Chaucer.]
- Predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount."We acknowledge him [God] our sovereign good." [Hooker.]
- Efficacious in the highest degree; effectual; controlling; as, a sovereign remedy."Such a sovereign influence has this passion upon the regulation of the lives and actions of men." [South.]
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
noun Sov"er*eign
Senses
- 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.]
- 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.
- [Zoöl] Any butterfly of the tribe Nymphalidi, or genus Basilarchia, as the ursula and the viceroy.synonyms: King; prince; monarch; potentate; emperor.
Other Dictionary Sources
- A nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right
- Greatest in status or authority or power
- (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces ("a sovereign state")
Wiktionary
From Middle English sovereyn, from Old French soverain (whence also modern French souverain), from Vulgar Latin *superānus (compare Italian sovrano, Spanish soberano) from Latin super (“above”). Spelling influenced by folk-etymology association with reign. Doublet of soprano, from the same Latin root via Italian. See also suzerain, foreign.
- A monarch; the ruler of a country.
- One who is not a subject to a ruler or nation.
- A gold coin of the United Kingdom, with a nominal value of one pound sterling but in practice used as a bullion coin.
- A very large champagne bottle with the capacity of about 25 liters, equivalent to 33⅓ standard bottles.
- Any butterfly of the tribe Nymphalini, or genus Basilarchia, as the ursula and the viceroy.
- (Britain, slang) A large, garish ring; a sovereign ring.