Are you curious what “sovereign” means? Where did this adjective come from? In what situations is its use appropriate? In this article, let's take a closer look at the history of the origin of this word, select synonyms for it, and find out its meaning.
What is sovereign?
So, the word "sovereign" is borrowed. Its “relative” is an English noun and adjective sovereign, used to designate a person or even a state that is endowed with independent and higher authority (in case the word acts as a noun). It is especially actively used in the context of the monarchy (emperor, king, monarch or any other person with the highest power).
Also, if with the help of this word they want to give a qualitative characteristic to an object, it can have the following meanings.
A sovereign is:
- independent or without any restrictions;
- having or having the right to original authority or jurisdiction.
It is logical that this word is used in the meaning of "royal", "princely", "paramount."
In general, this word came from the old French word soverain, which, in turn, came to France from the Latin language through spelling changes under the influence of associations and the evolution of etymological meaning. The great-grandfather of the word "sovereign" is the Latin super, meaning "above", "above".
So, in Russian, “sovereign” is a word that has a similar meaning. It can be used in relation to a person with supreme power, as well as relatively independent states.
Examples of using
Now that we know that a “sovereign” is “independent” or “possessing power,” let us examine it in context.
For example, this word can be used as follows: “Lithuania and Armenia signed an agreement in Vilnius, thereby recognizing each other as independent sovereign states” or “the Federation declared itself as a sovereign republic”.