Souvereynte

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Supreme power to rule and make laws within a territory or over a people ; the freedom of a state to govern itself without outside control
2. Highest ruling power over a realm or people ; the self-determination of a country that is not subject to any other state
3. Paramount authority held by a monarch or government to command a territory ; the condition of a nation standing free from rule by any foreign power

Etymology: Middle English "souvereynte" is the Anglo-Norman-influenced spelling of "sovereignty," and its story runs through Old French and Latin. The Latin root "super," meaning "above," was combined with a suffix to form a word for the highest authority, and that same root gives English "superior" and "supreme." The English form is borrowed from Old French "souveraineté," which was built on "souverain," itself formed from "sovrain," a word for a ruler standing above all others. The spelling "souvereynte" reflects the medieval habit of writing English with French conventions, where "ey" and a silent or altered vowel were common. Over time the spelling was regularised toward the Latinate "sovereignty," with the "g" inserted to echo the Latin "superanus" that lies behind the French form. The meaning stayed close to its origin: supreme ruling power, the authority that stands above all others.