sovereignty
/ˈsɑv(ə)ɹənti/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.86 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A territory under the rule of a sovereign; an independent or self-governing nation or other polity.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "[…] Zephyrus the VVeſterne vvind being in loue vvith her [Chloris], and coueting her to vvyfe, gaue her for a dovvrie, the chiefedome and ſoueraigntye of al flovvers and greene herbes, grovving on earth."
- "[…] Androgeus, falſe to natiue ſoyle, / And enuious of Vncles ſoueraintie, / Betrayd his countrey vnto forreine ſpoyle: […]"
- "The King of Nauarre hath alſo tvvo parliaments which ſerue for the countries which he holdeth in ſoueraigntie."
- "But Fortune, oh, / She is corrupted, chang'd, and vvonne from thee, / Sh'adulterates hourely vvith thine Vnckle Iohn, / And vvith her golden hand hath pluckt on France / To tread dovvne faire reſpect of Soueraigntie, / And made his Maieſtie the bavvd to theirs."
- "[…] Joves ovvn Tree, / That holds the VVoods in avvful Sov'raignty, / Requires a depth of Lodging in the Ground; […]"
- "Yet this Diminutive Rank of Soveraignty remain’d many Ages in the VVorld; and vve find, not only in Abraham’s Time, vvhen the five Cities of the Lake or Valley, vvhere Sodom ſtood, had five Kings over them; […] but even at the coming of the Iſraelites into Canaan, almoſt every City had its King; […]"
Etymology
PIE word *upér From Late Middle English sovereynte, souvereynte [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman sovereyneté, soverentee, and Old French soveraineté, souveraineté (modern French souveraineté), from soverain + -té (suffix forming nouns, often denoting a property or quality). Soverain is derived from Vulgar Latin *superānus (“chief; sovereign”), from Latin super (“above; on top of”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“above, over”)) + -ānus (“suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, usually denoting a relationship of origin, position, or possession”)). The English word is analysable as sovereign + -ty (suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɑv(ə)ɹənti/
- British English: /ˈsɒvɹənti/