sovereignty

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sov·er·eign·ty

(sŏv′ər-ĭn-tē, sŏv′rĭn-)

n. pl. sov·er·eign·ties

1. Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.

2. Royal rank, authority, or power.

3. Complete independence and self-government.

4. A territory existing as an independent state.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sovereignty

(ˈsɒvrəntɪ)

n, pl -ties

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) supreme and unrestricted power, as of a state

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the position, dominion, or authority of a sovereign

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an independent state

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sov•er•eign•ty

(ˈsɒv rɪn ti, ˈsʌv-)

n., pl. -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 a state.

4. rightful status, independence, or prerogative.

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

[1300–50]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	sovereignty - government free from external control self-determination, self-government, self-rule - government of a political unit by its own people
	2.	sovereignty - royal authority; the dominion of a monarch reign dominion, rule - dominance or power through legal authority; "France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the rule of Caesar" scepter, sceptre - the imperial authority symbolized by a scepter
	3.	sovereignty - the authority of a state to govern another state authority, potency, authorization, authorisation, say-so, dominance - the power or right to give orders or make decisions; "he has the authority to issue warrants"; "deputies are given authorization to make arrests"; "a place of potency in the state"

sovereignty

noun supreme power, domination, supremacy, primacy, sway, ascendancy, kingship, suzerainty Britain's concern to protect national sovereignty is far from new.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sovereignty

noun

1. The right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge:

authority, command, control, domination, dominion, jurisdiction, mastery, might, power, prerogative, sway.

Informal: say-so.

2. The condition of being politically free:

autonomy, freedom, independence, independency, liberty, self-government.

Translations

主権

sovereignty

[ˈsɒvrəntɪ] N → soberanía f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sovereignty

[ˈsɒvrɪnti] n → souveraineté f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sovereignty

n → Oberhoheit f, → Oberherrschaft f; (= right of self-determination) → Souveränität f; the sovereignty of papal decrees → die unumschränkte Gültigkeit der päpstlichen Erlasse

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sovereignty

[ˈsɒvr/əntɪ] n → sovranità

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

References in classic literature ?

At this day it cannot but strike us as extraordinary, that it does not appear to have occurred to any one member of that assembly, which had laid down in terms so clear, so explicit, so unequivocal, the foundation of all just government, in the imprescriptible rights of man, and the transcendent sovereignty of the people, and who in those principles had set forth their only personal vindication from the charges of rebellion against their king, and of treason to their country, that their last crowning act was still to be performed upon the same principles.

That of the latter was the sovereignty of organized power, and the independence of the separate or dis-united States.

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For nobility attempers sovereignty, and draws the eyes of the people, somewhat aside from the line royal.

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The Dolphin replied, "Nay, my friend, blame not me, but Nature, which, while giving me the sovereignty of the sea, has quite denied me the power of living upon the land."

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He who obtains sovereignty by the assistance of the nobles maintains himself with more difficulty than he who comes to it by the aid of the people, because the former finds himself with many around him who consider themselves his equals, and because of this he can neither rule nor manage them to his liking.

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Perhaps it may be that my mind is wrought To a fever* by the moonbeam that hangs o'er, But I will half believe that wild light fraught With more of sovereignty than ancient lore Hath ever told-or is it of a thought The unembodied essence, and no more That with a quickening spell doth o'er us pass As dew of the night-time, o'er the summer grass?

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THE King of Wideout having been offered the sovereignty of Wayoff, sent for the Three Persons who had made the offer, and said to them:

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The state may be destroyed on one side, and not on the other; the confederacy may be dissolved, and the confederates preserve their sovereignty."

The proposed Constitution, so far from implying an abolition of the State governments, makes them constituent parts of the national sovereignty, by allowing them a direct representation in the Senate, and leaves in their possession certain exclusive and very important portions of sovereign power.

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This is not the only case in which the articles of Confederation have inconsiderately endeavored to accomplish impossibilities; to reconcile a partial sovereignty in the Union, with complete sovereignty in the States; to subvert a mathematical axiom, by taking away a part, and letting the whole remain.

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But now some god and an infatuate soul Have stirred betwixt them a mad rivalry To grasp at sovereignty and kingly power.

ISMENE On thee, 'tis said, their sovereignty depends.

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