sovereign

▪ I. sovereign, n. and a.
    (ˈsɒvrɪn)
    Forms: (see below).
    [a. OF. soverain, souverein, etc. (mod.F. souverain), = It. sovrano (see sovran), Sp. and Pg. soberano:—pop.L. *superānus, f. super above. Cf. MDu. sov(e)rein, souverein, soferein.]
    A. Forms.
    1. (α) 3–5 souerein (4 -eine, 6, 8 sov-), 3–6 souereyn(e, 5 souereeyne, souureyn), 4–6 sovereyn(e, 4 sovreyn); 4–6 sou-, 4–7 soverain(e, 4 souorain), 4–6 sou-, soverayn(e, 5 souereayn). (β) 4–7 souereign(e, 4 soeuereigne, 5 souerign, -ygne), 4–7 sovereigne, 4– sovereign; 4–6 soueraigne (4 souuer-), 5– 6 soueraygne (6 sov-), 6–7 soveraigne, 6–8 soveraign (6 sovar-, 7 -aing). (γ) (Chiefly Sc.) 4–7 soueran(e, 4 sowu-, 5 sow-), 5–6 soveran(e.
    [For examples of these forms see the senses below.] (δ) 4–5 soueryn, 5 soueren, -eng, -yng(e, 6 -eyng; 5 souerant-, soveraynt-, 6 soverand(e.

1390–1440 R. Gloucester's Chron. 5183 (Harl. MS.), Þat folc..vnderuonge þere Kyng Egbryȝt to her soueryn. c 1400 Destr. Troy 11459 In faith of þo faire soueryn. 1421 Cov. Leet Bk. 36 Masturs & souerens of this wurthy Cite. c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714) 61 More Richesse than his Soveryng Lord. 1535 Boorde Let. in Introd. Knowl. (1870) 53 Our most..gracyose souereyng lord the Kynge. 1537 in Lett. Suppress. Monast. (Camden) 153 Our soverand lord kyng Henrie. 1548 Act 2 & 3 Edw. VI, c. 38 §4 The King o{supr} Soverande Lorde.

    2. (α) 4 sufrayn, 5 suffrayn, -ein, 6 -ayne, 6–7 -ain; 5–6 sufferayne, 6 -ayn, -aine, -ein, -aigne, -eigne; 5 sofferayn, sofereyn, 6 -ayne, 5 sofreyn.

a 1340 Hampole Psalter 514 Ask..þi sufrayns. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5055 Diamede..said to þat suffrayn. c 1440 York Myst. xiv. 46 He is sufferayne of all thyng. 1452 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 277 Our sofferayn lorde the Kyng. 1528 Star Chamber Cases (Selden) II. 168 In the xix{supt}{suph} yere of our sofreyn lord kyng henry the viij{supt}{suph}. 1534 in Peacock Eng. Ch. Furniture (1866) 191 With a sufferayn of golde thereto nailed. 1551 Turner Herbal ii. 123 A soferayne medicine. 1567 J. Maplet Gr. Forest (title-p.), The most sufferaigne Vertues in all the whole kinde of Stones & Mettals. 1596 Dawson Good Hus-wifes Iewell 50 A sufferaine ointment for shrunken sinewes.

    (β) 5 soferan, 5 suffirane, 5–6 sufferan, suffran, Sc. -ane; 5 sufferen, 6 suffren, sufferyn.

c 1400 Destr. Troy 4817 Plenty of Setis..in a serkyll þe soferan before. c 1426 Abraham's Sacrifice 273 in Non-Cycle Myst. Plays (1909) 33 A, sufferen lord, þi wille be fulfilled. 1515 A. Williamson in Douglas's Wks. (1874) I. Introd. p. xxii, The Quene my mastres and suffrane. 1540 North Co. Wills (Surtees) 172 To Mr. John Danyell..oon sufferyn. 1553 Bale Vocacyon 5 b, The good suffren of kylkennie..brought me thyder in the night.

    (γ) 5 soferand, sufferande, suffraynd; 5–6 sufferante (6 pl. -aunce), sufferent(e.

1432 in Burton & Raine Hemingbrough (1888) 383 To my sufferante lorde Prior of Durham. c 1440 York Myst. x. 163 Gude god oure suffraynd syre. c 1460 Towneley Myst. viii. 22 Take tent to me, youre soferand syre. a 1500–34 Cov. Corpus Chr. Plays (1902) 2 Loo! sufferentis, now ma you be glad. 1553 Request true harted Englysheman 12 All our olde angelles..and our newe sufferantes. 1562 W. Bullein Bulwarke, Bk. Simples 7 Sufferente against all hote diseases.

    (δ) 6 suffaryng; 6– suffering. Now only dial., or slang.

1538 Lichfield Gild Ord. (E.E.T.S.) 15 Our suffaryng lorde kyng henry the viijth. 1594 Dee Priv. Diary (Camden) 50 The Archbishop gave me a payre of sufferings to drinke. 1836 [see blank n. 12]. 1914 E. Pugh Cockney at Home 221 I've..played..till twelve at night, and then not made half a suffering.

    B. Signification. I. n.
    1. One who has supremacy or rank above, or authority over, others; a superior; a ruler, governor, lord, or master (of persons, etc.). Freq. applied to the Deity in relation to created things. In later use suggestive of sense 2 a.

α c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 74 For, sire king, þou art mi souerein, and þe erchebischop al-so. c 1315 Shoreham iv. 262 Who yst þat neuer nas rebel Aȝeins hys souerayn? c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶506 Murmuryng eek is ofte among servauntz, that grucchen whan here soverayns bidden hem to doon leeful thinges. c 1449 Paston Lett. I. 78 To my Sovereyn, John Paston. a 1470 H. Parker Dives & Pauper (W. de W. 1496) clxxxvi. 181, I suppose that my lege lorde the kynge bydde me do a thynge, and my mayster or my souerayn bydde me do the contrarye. 1559 Mirr. Mag., Edw. IV, v. 83 b, For I am departed vntill doomes day: But love you that lord that is soveraine of all.

β 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 200 Þo þat seten atte syde table or with þe souereignes of þe halle. 1400 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 4, But God that is our elder sovereigne gife you long lyve. 1496 Act 12 Hen. VII, c. vii, If any laie persone hereaftir purpensidly murder their Lord Maister or Sovereign immediate that they be not admytted to their Clergie. 1588 Kyd Househ. Phil. 897 Wks. (1901) 262 This distinction of Soueraigne, Ruler, Gouernour, or Maister, is first founded vpon Nature. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. v. ii. 147 Thy husband is thy Lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy soueraigne. 16.. Middleton, etc. Old Law v. i, The Duke! As he is my sovereign, I do give him two crowns for it. 1673 Cave Prim. Chr. i. i. 15 The Soveraign of the whole Creation. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) I. Pref. 7 Those haughty merchants, who thought themselves Kings of the sea, and sovereigns over crowned heads. 1775 Johnson Lett. (1788) I. 293 Lucy says I must not go this week... The Lady at Stowhill says, how comes Lucy to be such a sovereign? 1820 Byron Mar. Fal. i. ii, Why, that's my uncle! The leader, and the statesman, and the chief Of commonwealths, and sovereign of himself! 1859 Mill Liberty i. 22 Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is Sovereign.

γ c 1450 Holland Howlat 7 So soft was the sessoun our Souerane dovne sent. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 79 Christ our cheif and Souerane.

    † b. A husband in relation to his wife. Obs.

1390 Gower Conf. I. 71 The Prestes tho gon hom ayein, And sche goth to hire sovereign. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 223 We siked wel sore, For sert of hire souereyn and for hire owne sake. c 1450 Lovelich Merlin 6336 To hire lord & souerayn seide sche than: ‘My sovereyn,’ sche seide, ‘ȝowre owne am J’.

    c. A person or thing which excels or surpasses others of the kind. Now rare.

1500–20 Dunbar Poems xlviii. 170 Haill, of all flouris quene and souerane. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ii. 2 They in all theyr dedis were so valyant that they ought to be reputed as soueraignes in all chyualry. 1635 A. Stafford Fem. Glory (1869) 75 This Soveraigne of her Sexe. 1695 Ld. Preston Boeth. iii. 96 We have already defined Happiness to be the Soveraign of Goods.

    † d. A free citizen or voter of America. U.S. Obs.

1846 in Indiana Hist. Soc. Publ. (1905) III. 412 Thousands of children in our state have not received even the trifling aid which these [public] funds afford... This fact illustrates the situation of thousands of the future sovereigns of our beloved State. 1861 Harpers' Mag. Mar. 570/1 Deacon E― lived out West... The ‘sovereigns’ of that section met in caucus to appoint delegates to a County Convention. 1869 ‘Mark Twain’ Innoc. Abr. xi. 110, I am a free-born sovereign, sir, an American.

    2. spec. a. The recognized supreme ruler of a people or country under monarchical government; a monarch; a king or queen.

α 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 5183 Þat folc of estangle vnderuenge þere King egbriȝt to hor souereyn. a 1340 Hampole Psalter lxviii. 28 Sugetis þat ere folouers of þaire soueraynes. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1669 For the souerayn hym selfe was a sete rioll. c 1440 Generydes 94 In Surre.., Where my fader is kyng and souerayne. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 58 Who after long debate..Was of the Britons first crownd Soueraine. 1741 C. Middleton Cicero I. v. 380 Clodius..granted this Priesthood to one Brogitarus, a petty Soverein in those parts, to whom he had before given the title of King.

β c 1400 Anturs of Arth. vi, Thus with solance þay semelede,..And sew to þe soueraygne. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 11 Inas King of Wessex to be their souereigne. 1594 Barnfield Sheph. Cont. (Arb.) 26 When bad subiects gainst their Soueraigne..vnnaturally rebell. a 1652 Brome Queenes Exch. i. Wks. 1873 III. 459 How darst thou thus oppose thy Soveraignes will. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xii. (1848) 243 'Tis the only thing wherein Subjects can punish their Soveraigns. 1710 Addison Whig Exam. No. 5 ¶3 The relation between the soveraign and the subject. 1780 Mirror No. 82, The Sovereign may be misinformed as to the deservings of those whom he is pleased to honour. 1835 Thirlwall Greece v. I. 131 The Attic king Erechtheus and the Thracian Eumolpus, who had become sovereign of Eleusis. 1865 Kingsley Herew. ix, They brought down on themselves the wrath of their nominal sovereigns.

transf. 1787 J. Adams Def. Constit. Gov. U.S.A. (1794) I. 26 The sovereign is the whole country. 1794 Brookes' Gazetteer (ed. 8) s.v. Lucern, The former [council] is the nominal sovereign.

γ a 1400–50 Alexander 2774 A noble prince, Þat certified his souerane þir saȝes in a pistill. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 110 Thare suld na subject obey till his soverane to werrey agaynis his God. 1562 Winȝet Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 2 The maist excellent and gracius Souerane, Marie Quene of Scottis. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 296 Maist illustre and bountifull souerane.

    b. In fig. applications.

1588 Shakes. L.L.L. iii. i. 184 Don Cupid, Regent of Louerimes,..Th' annointed soueraigne of sighes and groanes. 1592 Kyd Sp. Trag. iii. xiv, Come, Bel-imperia,..My sorrowes ease and soueraigne of my blisse. 1616 T. Scot Philomythie ii. B v b, The knight..they crown The Soueraigne of glory and renowne. 1821 Shelley Epipsych. 592 Weak Verses, go, kneel at your Sovereign's feet.

    † 3. a. A mayor or provost of a town, in later use esp. in Ireland. Obs.

a 1325 MS. Rawl. B. 520 fol. 32 Þat..anquestes..ben imad in tounes þoru him þat is souerein of þe toune. 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles iv. 32 Whanne it drowe to þe day..Þat souereynes were semblid, and þe schire-knyȝtis. c 1450 Cal. Lett. Bk. ‘D’ Lond. 205 Diligent execucioun of all that ye shall be chargid of be your sovereynys of this Cite, ye shall performe. 1538 in P. H. Hore Hist. Wexford (1900) I. 237 When the Suffrain herde herof he soghte for the said Watkyne..who..bade the Suffrayne take the offendors. 1587 Golding De Mornay ii. 18 If any man tell of many Magistrates; wee will by and by inquire for the soueraigne. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 287 The 26 day his Lordship wrote to the Soveraigne of Wexford. 1696 Lond. Gaz. No. 3178/4 The Association of the Soveraign, Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Carlingford in Ireland. 1713 in P. H. Hore Hist. Wexford (1900) I. 104 John Ivory, the present Sovereign of the town of New Ross, and his Successors Sovereigns of the said Town. 1762 Wesley Wks. (1872) III. 90 A dancing-master was busily employed in the..market house [at Belfast]; till at twelve the sovereign put him out, by holding his court there.

    † b. The Superior of a monastery of other conventual establishment. Obs.

14.. Rule Syon Monast. liii. in Collect. Topogr. (1834) I. 31 The sovereyne..owethe to se that none have more than nedethe nor lasse. c 1450 Myrr. our Ladye 2 Obedyence to the byddynges of god, and of youre reule, and of youre soueraynes. 1534 Act 26 Hen. VIII, c. 3 §8 At the..pleasures of their masters & soueraines of the monasteries and priories. 1544 tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 42 b, So may the lorde haue an action agaynste the soueraigne of the house that taketh and admitteth his villeine to be professed.

    4. a. A gold coin minted in England from the time of Henry VII to Charles I, originally of the value of 22s. 6d. but subsequently worth only 10s. or 11s.
    There were also double sovereign and treble sovereigns. The first group of quotations exhibits some of the enactments relative to the coin, or indications of its value at different dates. See also half-sovereign.

(a) 1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII, c. 5 §1 All maner of Gold of the Coynes of a Sovereyn, Halfe Sovereyn, Riall, half Ryall..shall go and be curraunt in payment through all this..Realme. 1526 Lett. & P. Hen. VIII, IV. ii. 1149 [The King intends..to order by proclamation that the angel.. shall be current for 7s. 6d.,..the sovereign 22s. 6d., the demy-sovereign 11s. 3d.] 1542 Recorde Gr. Artes K ij b, A Souerayn is the greatest englishe coyne, and conteyneth..4 crownes and an halfe, that is to say 22s. 6d. 1551 in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1822) III. 45 The old sovereign of fine gold which shall be current for thirty shillings of lawful money of England... A whole sovereign of crown gold which shall be current for twenty shillings. 1591 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees, 1860) 190 To Mr. Doctor Colmore a trible severignt, beinge thirtie shilling peyce. 1611 in Birch Crt. & Times Jas. I (1848) I. 147 Raising..the angel and sovereign to eleven shillings, and the Jacobite piece to two and twenty. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 29/1 The Soveraign, Coined by Henry the Eighth, Edward the Sixth, Queen Elizabeth, King James,..passed for eleven shillings. 1726–31 Tindal Rapin's Hist. Eng. (1743) II. xvii. 157 By an Indenture of 2d. of Elizabeth, a pound weight of Gold..was coined..into 24 Sovereigns, at thirty Shillings a piece. Ibid., A pound weight of Crown Gold of 22 Carats fine, and 2 Carats alloy, was coined into..33 Sovereigns at twenty Shillings a piece. 1853 Humphreys Coin-coll. Man. II. 446 To distinguish it from the previous rial, it was determined to call it a ‘sovereign’. Ibid. 449 [etc.].

(b) 1514 Visit. Dioc. Norwich (Camden) 120 Johannes Smythe ostendit in camera..iij soveryns. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 238 The Merchantes of the Staple..presented her with an .C. sovereyns of golde in a ryche purse. 1599 B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. v. x. 172, I gaue him some soueraignes for his paines. 1607 Dekker & Webster Westw. Hoe i. ii. D.'s Wks. 1873 II. 289 And you will stay till to morrow you shall haue it all in new soueraignes. 1615 J. Stephens Satyr. Ess. (1857) 233 She hath old harry soveraignes, that saw no sunne in fiftie yeares.

transf. 1660 in J. Simon Ess. Irish Coins (1749) 126 The Spanish Suffrain of gold, the Spanish Half-suffrain.

    b. A British gold coin of the (nominal) value of one pound. Also attrib. as sovereign purse, sovereign scales.

1817 Royal Proclam. 1 July, That certain pieces of gold money should be coined, which should be called ‘sovereigns or twenty shilling pieces’. 1828 P. Cunningham N.S. Wales (ed. 3) II. 156 Sovereigns are the next most advisable articles, and lastly dollars. 1840 Hood Up Rhine 26 I'd give a guinea, that's to say a sovereign, to know what it is. 1882 J. Parker Apost. Life I. 142 What a ‘wonder’ it would be for some of us to ever give a sovereign to any good cause upon earth!

attrib. 1859 F. S. Cooper Ironmongers' Catal. 140 Sovereign Scales, Mint Weights, 1/6 extra. 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 402/1 Gentlemen's sovereign purses, Russia leather..4/6. 1977 Lancashire Life Dec. 59/1 Years afterwards I showed him a sovereign purse containing a solitary half sovereign.

    † 5. A variety of pear. Obs.^—1

1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 213 Pears. Windsor, Sovereign, Orange, Bergamot [etc.].

    II. adj.
    † 1. Of persons: Standing out above others or excelling in some respect. Obs.

c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 13214 Souereyne knyghtes þey were, hit seys. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. 991 To him that is so soverayn of honour. 1402 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 60 Seraphin he is the sovereynest, in charite he brennith. c 1491 Chast. Goddes Chyld. 44 It is yeuen and sende us fro our louyng fader and fro our souereeyne leche. 1547 Bk. Marchauntes c vj, He [sc. a cardinal] is alredy in the way and nygh to be hymself the great hatmaker, or souerayn haberdasher. 1576 Gascoigne Kenelw. Cast. Wks. 1910 II. 104 And that the maide released be, by soveraigne maidens might. 1688 Collier Several Disc. (1725) 243 As there is one Being sovereign to all the rest, and upon whom they all depend.

    2. Of things, qualities, etc.: Supreme, paramount; principal, greatest, or most notable.

α c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 7860 Bot þe mast soverayne ioy of alle Es þe syght of Godes bryght face. c 1383 in Eng. Hist. Rev. Oct. (1911) 748 Prestis owen to make þe sacramentis of holi chirche wiþ souerayn deuocioun. 1450–80 tr. Secreta Secret. xx. 17 The souereyne wisdome of god hath ordeynyd the coldes and the hetis. 1485 Caxton Paris & V. (1868) 30 Of whose comyng messyr Jaques had Souerayn playsyr. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Ee b, Me think it shulde be a souerayn foly. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vii. 16 The antique world..The guifts of soueraine bounty did embrace. 1648 J. Beaumont Psyche vi. xliii, A Realm..Where every Ejulation, every Pain Alas, is too too truly Soverain.

β 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xviii. 217 For-þi god of his goodnesse þe fyrste gome Adam, Sette hym in solace & in souereigne myrthe. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 111 Þe kyng hadde Englisshemen in sovereigne worschippe. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. iii. (1811) 38 When this Coilus had reygned in Soueraygne peace, by the terme of liiii. yeres. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 19 Whose substance..may be to my person a singular ornament, and a souereigne safe⁓garde. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. i. i. §3 This corrective spice, the mixture whereof maketh knowledge so soveraigne. 1642 Rogers Naaman 9 Free and soveraigne mercy and compassion might only be ascribed to God. 1683 Brit. Spec. 25 It is but just, that Man should pay a Soveraign Adoration and Respect to this bounteous Creator. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 99 This is his sovereign Charm against Fear in an Engagement. 1829 I. Taylor Enthus. ix. 223 The good of his soul, is the sovereign object of his cares. 1891 Baring-Gould In Troub. Land viii. 111 They laughed over their troubles as though it were a sovereign joke.

γ 1375 Barbour Bruce x. 274 Of so souerane gret bounte. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1125 Iff it be worship & wit wisdom to shewe, Hit is sothely more soueran to see it in werke. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 507 Tha..said, thai suld exampill tak of her souerane teching.

    b. Qualifying good. (Freq. = summum bonum.)

a 1340 Hampole Psalter iv. 8 A souereyn goed þai may noght se. c 1380 Antecrist in Todd Three Treat. Wyclif (1851) 118 In þe first boke of souereynest good. 1474 Caxton Chesse iii. ii. (1883) 86 Fayth is a souerayn good and cometh of the good wyll of the herte. 1594 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. II. 5 All things belonging to the saluation and soueraigne good of men. 1625 Bacon Ess., Of Truth (Arb.) 500 The knowledge of Truth..is the Soueraigne Good of humane Nature. 1692 Dryden St. Euremont's Ess. 333 Of all the Opinions of Philosophers concerning the Sovereign Good. 1744 Harris Three Treat. Wks. (1841) 45 The sovereign good is that, the possession of which renders us happy. a 1871 Grote Eth. Fragm. v. (1876) 137 To promote the accomplishment of his supreme purpose—the Sovereign Good of the Community.

    c. Of contempt: Supreme, unmitigated.

1749 Fielding Tom Jones ii. vii, Which at last ended, on the part of the Lady, in a sovereign contempt for her husband. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxx, You hold in sovereign contempt these common failings of your sex. 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. I. 125 The respect..turned into the most sovereign contempt for his meanness. 1876 F. Harrison Choice Bks. iv. (1886) 88 The great books..are treated by collectors and librarians with sovereign contempt.

    3. Of remedies, etc.: Efficacious or potent in a superlative degree. Freq. in fig. use.

α 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xx. 370 Þe souereynest salue for alkyn synnes. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 131 Of Planteine He hath his herbe sovereine. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 197 Oryson is Souerayn remedy in euery trybulacion. c 1491 Chast. Goddes Chyld. 13 And this is a souerayn medicyn to al temptacions. 1549 E. Allen Par. Rev. John 37 The leaves, frute and sappe of these holy trees, were very holesome and soveraine. 1588 Greene Perimedes Wks. (Grosart) VII. 20 A soueraine simple against disquiet and feare. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 327 But how soveraine soever it [the Gospel] was of it selfe, yet it was not at all available to the good of many of them. 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Amb. 200 There is also in this Province a Drug very soverain against the Worms.

β 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. xx. 172 Belfloure..is soveraigne to cure the payne..of the necke. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. iii. 57 Telling me, the Soueraign'st thing on earth Was Parmacity, for an inward bruise. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iii. 97 The soueraigne minerall against infections. 1679 Phil. Trans. XIX. 729 This Giben is..a soveraign Remedy for Coughs and Green Wounds. 1744 Berkeley Siris §83, I have found it of sovereign use as well during the smallpox as before it. 1793 Cowper Let. Wks. 1836 VII. 330, I conclude that it..may therefore be sovereign in cases where the eyelids are ulcerated. 1839 Morning Post 17 Oct., The sovereignest thing on earth for rendering the people wise. 1888 Besant Eulogy R. Jeffries 85 That kind of belief..is sovereign against low spirits, carelessness, and inactivity.

γ 1600 Holland Livy viii. xviii. 294 Souerane medicines and holsome for the bodie of man.

    † 4. In literal sense: Lofty. Obs.^—1

1388 Wyclif Prov. viii. 2 Whether wisdom crieth not ofte..In souereyneste and hiȝ coppis.

    5. Of persons: Having superior or supreme rank or power; spec. holding the position of a ruler or monarch.

α 1340 Ayenb. 189 Þanne ssel he keste his greate manzinge as þe heȝe bissop an souerayn pope. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 811 Þus dindimus..god by-secheþ to saue þe soueraine prinse. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xiii. 56 Þai schall com..before Godd þe souerayne Iugge. 1472–3 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 5/2 The soverayn Ruler or Keper of such Castell, Towne,..or other place. 1563 Homilies ii. Of Repentance ii, Our sauiour Jesus Christ..beynge our souerayne Byshop. 1598 Yong Diana 456 O soueraine God! that once I might but knowe Greefe without hope to sease vpon thy soule.

β 1390 Gower Conf. I. 9 As he which is king sovereign Of al the worldes governaunce. Ibid. II. 52 To thee, which art god sovereign. 1600 Holland Livy iii. 109 The twelve knitches of rods were born by the Lictors before the soveraigne judge. 1611 Cotgr., Sultane,..a Sultannesse; or soueraigne Princesse. 1678 Sir G. Mackenzie Crim. Laws Scot. ii. xv. §ii. (1699) 212 The Justice-Court of old, was the only Soveraing Court of the Nation. 1711 Shaftesbury Charac. (1737) I. 327 The prince..abhor'd the profanation offer'd to his sovereign-empress. a 1763 W. King Lit. & Polit. Anecd. (1819) 132 He..hath been introduced to most of the sovereign princes. 1825 Bentham Ration. Reward 16 Partly because, being members of the sovereign body, they would have it so. 1839 Thirlwall Greece VI. 123 Evagoras..claimed to be treated as a sovereign prince, the great king's equal in rank and title. 1877 Northcote Rom. Catacombs ii. vi. 109 To the Sovereign Pontiffs..we are principally indebted for whatever fragments have been preserved.

γ c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints vi. (Thomas) 155 For chastite is souerane quene of al vertuise euir bedene. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 109 The pape is soverane to the Emperour, and the Emperour subject to the pape. 1508 Dunbar Flyting Kennedie 104 Sen thow with wirschep wald sa fane be styld, Haill, souerane senȝeour!

    b. Freq. as a qualification of lord or lady.

α c 1350 Will. Palerne 3954, I sette ȝou for no soudiour but for souerayn lord, to lede al þis lordschip as ȝou likes euer. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 252 Me þat ye callid your mastresse, Youre soverayne ladye. 1414 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 22 Oure soverain Lord, youre humble and trewe lieges [etc.]. 1459 Ibid. V. 369/2 The seid Lord had sent his servaunt to oure Soverayne Lady the Quene. 1530 Palsgr. 478/2 She hath ben his soverayne lady. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 14 Locrine was left the soueraine Lord of all.

β c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 10 Sovereigne lord, welcome to youre citee! 1474 Cov. Leet Bk. 405 Oure Souerygne lady, the Quene. 1558 in Strype Ann. Ref. I. ii. App. i. 399 She beinge our sovaraigne lord and ladie, other kinges..ought to paye tribute unto her. 1614 Selden Titles Honor 125 What now is one of our particular Notes of Maiestie, not giuen to any but the supreme, I mean Soueraign Lord or Lady. 1678 Bunyan Pilgr. i. (1862) 78 Shall I entertain thee against my soveraign Lord? 1727 Gay Fables i. xxxvi. 34 When heaven the world with creatures stor'd, Man was ordain'd their sovereign lord. 1820 Scott Monast. xxxvi, There rides a faithful servant of his most beautiful and Sovereign Lady. 1832 [see lady n. 2].

γ 1482 Eng. Misc. (Surtees) 41 Ye xxj yer of our soveran lorde kyng Edward the fourth. 1529 Registr. Aberdon. (Maitland) I. 395 For commond weill of owre sowerane lordis legis. 1581 J. Hamilton in Cath. Tract. (S.T.S.) 73 To..my seuerane ladye Marie the Quenis maiestie of Scotland.

    c. Of states, communities, etc.

1595 Shakes. John v. ii. 82, I am too high-borne to be..Instrument To any Soueraigne State throughout the world. 1682 A. Mudie Pres. St. Scotl. ii. 23 The King is..a free Prince of Sovereign Power. 1771 Ann. Reg. i. 67 The Baron..has been condemned by the sovereign courts to be kept 15 days in prison. 1819 J. Marshall Const. Opin. (1839) 160 The defendant, a sovereign state, denies the obligation of a law enacted by the legislature of the union [etc.]. 1835 T. Mitchell Acharn. of Aristoph. 448 note, Athens had still its law of libel, by which the majesty of the sovereign people was protected. 1868 Cooley Const. Lim. i, A State is called a sovereign State when this supreme power resides within itself.

    d. Banking. Designating or pertaining to a commercial loan made to a sovereign state.

1977 47th Ann. Rep. Bank Internat. Settlements 102 This..may have improved the quality of the banks' loan portfolio..but what about the corresponding rise in the country of ‘sovereign’ risks? 1982 Daily Tel. 8 Dec. 21/4 Only {pstlg}26 million was set aside as a general provision, which is where the bank is believed to take account of sovereign loans. 1983 Times 3 Mar. 17/3 The report calls for much greater availability of information about sovereign lending.

    6. Of power, authority, etc.: Supreme.

c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 1019 Most redouted imperiall myght, and soverayne majesty. 1595 Markham Sir R. Grinuile lii, Shee giues him soueraigne rule, and publique right. 1643 Prynne Sov. Power Parl. i. (ed. 2) 101 That the Soveraignest power and jurisdiction..resides in the whole Kingdom and Parliament. 1676 Dryden Aurengz. i. i. 60 In change of Government, The Rabble..Do Sovereign Justice. 1759 Robertson Hist. Scotl. iii. Wks. 1813 I. 181 The sovereign authority was by this treaty transferred wholly into the hands of the congregation. 1851 Dixon W. Penn xxii. (1872) 193 The sovereign power resides in the governor and freemen of the province. 1878 Stewart & Tait Unseen Univ. Introd. 14 This sovereign and paramount influence.

    7. Of or belonging to, characteristic of, supremacy or superiority.

c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. xxxiii, Full many a glorious morning haue I seene, Flatter the mountaine tops with soueraine eie. 1725 Pope Odyss. i. 171 He led the goddess to the sovereign seat. 1850 L. Hunt Autobiog. II. xiv. 141 Disobedience..was an offence doubly irritating to his nature on account of his sovereign habits as a jailer. 1870 Lowell Among my Bks. Ser. i. (1873) 324 He really sees things with their sovereign eye.

▪ II. † ˈsovereign, v. Obs.^—1
    [f. prec.]
    trans. To deal with as a sovereign.

1585 R. Williams in Motley Netherl. (1860) I. 333 Unless her Majesty do sovereign them presently.

Oxford English Dictionary