Where does “sovereignty” come from?
Sovereignty derives from Middle English sovereynte, from Anglo-Norman sovereyneté and Old French souveraineté, ultimately from Latin superanus meaning supreme, itself from super meaning above.
sovereignty (English): The state of making laws and controlling...
Definitions
- The state of making laws and controlling...
Ancestry of “sovereignty”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sovereynte | Total control or rulership; sovereignty,... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | sovereyneté | Alternative form of sovereinté |
| 3 | Old French | souveraineté | — |
| 4 | Old French | soverain | sovereign |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | superanus | — |
| 6 | Latin | super | "accusative" above, on the top of, upon;... |
| 7 | Latin | eks-uper | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upéri | alternative reconstruction of *upér |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |