self-sovereignty









self-sovereignty


noun, plural sov·er·eign·ties.

  1. the quality or state of being sovereign, or of having supreme power or authority.
  2. the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign;royal rank or position; royalty.
  3. supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.
  4. rightful status, independence, or prerogative.
  5. a sovereign or independent state, community, or political unit.

noun plural -ties

  1. supreme and unrestricted power, as of a state
  2. the position, dominion, or authority of a sovereign
  3. an independent state

n.mid-14c., “pre-eminence,” from Anglo-French sovereynete, Old French souverainete, from soverain (see sovereign (adj.)). Meaning “authority, rule, supremacy of power or rank” is recorded from late 14c.; sense of “existence as an independent state” is from 1715. A nation or state’s supreme power within its borders. A government might respond, for example, to criticism from foreign governments of its treatment of its own citizens by citing its rights of sovereignty.

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