Sovereignship

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of possessing supreme authority and independent self-governance over a territory and population
2. The condition of holding absolute power and autonomy as a ruler or independent political entity
3. The quality of having ultimate control and self-rule within a distinct territory

Etymology: "Sovereignship" is a plain compound: "sovereign" plus the suffix "-ship," which English has long attached to nouns to name a state, condition, or quality. Words such as "friendship," "kingship," and "lordship" follow the same pattern, so the new word simply means the state of being a sovereign. "Sovereign" itself came into English from Old French "soverain," which in turn came from a Latin base meaning "over" or "above," the same root behind "superior." The word therefore carried the sense of something placed above all others before it ever described a king or a nation. The suffix "-ship" has a more concrete beginning than the English word suggests: it descends from an Old English noun meaning "shape" or "creation," which is also the source of the modern "-ship" in "craftsmanship." Over time that sense of "form" blurred into the idea of a condition, which is why the suffix now turns a noun into an abstract state.

Synonyms: sovereignty, dominion, rule, authority, supremacy

Antonyms: subordination, dependency, servitude, subjugation, inferiority