a person exercising supreme authority, esp a monarch
2.
a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling
adjective
3.
supreme in rank or authority
a sovereign lord
4.
excellent or outstanding
a sovereign remedy
5.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a sovereign
6.
independent of outside authority
a sovereign state
Derived forms
sovereignly (ˈsovereignly)
adverb
Word origin
C13: from Old French soverain, from Vulgar Latin superānus (unattested), from Latin super above; also influenced by reign
sovran in American English
(ˈsɑvrən, ˈsʌv-)
noun or adjective
literary
sovereign
Word origin
[1625–35; alter. of sovereign, modeled on It sovrano]This word is first recorded in the period 1625–35. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cabaret, consciousness, interlock, plastic, substratum