Sovereignty \Sov"er*eign*ty\, n.; pl. Sovereignties. [OE.
   soverainetee, OF. sovrainet['e], F. souverainet['e].]
   The quality or state of being sovereign, or of being a
   sovereign; the exercise of, or right to exercise, supreme
   power; dominion; sway; supremacy; independence; also, that
   which is sovereign; a sovereign state; as, Italy was formerly
   divided into many sovereignties.
   [1913 Webster]

         Woman desiren to have sovereignty
         As well over their husband as over their love.
                                                  --Chaucer.
   [1913 Webster]

	

	sovereignty
     n 1: government free from external control
     2: royal authority; the dominion of a monarch [syn: reign]

	

	168 Moby Thesaurus words for "sovereignty":
   acme, administration, ascendance, ascendancy, ascendant, authority,
   authorization, balance of power, be-all and end-all, blue ribbon,
   caliphate, captainship, chairmanship, championship,
   civil government, claws, clutches, command, control, convenership,
   custody, czardom, dictatorship, direction, directorate,
   directorship, discipline, dispensation, disposition, dominance,
   dominancy, domination, dominion, dominium, effectiveness,
   eminent domain, emperorship, empery, empire, eternity, first place,
   first prize, foremanship, form of government, generalship, glory,
   governance, government, governorship, grip, guardianship, hand,
   hands, headship, hegemony, height, highest, holiness, immutability,
   imperialism, imperium, independence, infinite goodness,
   infinite justice, infinite love, infinite mercy, infinite power,
   infinite wisdom, infinity, influence, intendancy, internationalism,
   internationality, iron hand, jurisdiction, kaiserdom, kaisership,
   kinghood, kingship, land tenure, landholding, landownership,
   landowning, leadership, light, lordship, majesty, management,
   managership, masterdom, mastership, mastery, maximum, most,
   nationalism, nationality, nationhood, ne plus ultra, new high,
   omnipotence, omnipotency, omnipresence, omniscience, omnisciency,
   overlordship, overseership, oversight, ownership, palms,
   paramountcy, peoplehood, political organization, polity,
   possessorship, power, predominance, predominancy, predomination,
   preeminence, preponderance, prepotence, prepotency, presidency,
   primacy, principality, proctorship, proprietary, proprietorship,
   queenhood, queenship, raj, rajaship, record, regime, regimen,
   regnancy, regulation, reign, royalty, rule, say, seigniory,
   self-determination, self-government, sovereign nationhood,
   statehood, stewardship, sultanate, sultanship, superintendence,
   superintendency, superiority, supervision, supervisorship,
   supremacy, suzerainship, suzerainty, sway, system of government,
   talons, the crown, the throne, top spot, ubiquity, unity,
   upper hand, whip hand, zenith

	

	Sovereignty
   of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own
   good pleasure (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15-23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev.
   4:11).

	

	SOVEREIGNTY. The union and exercise of all human power possessed in a state; 
it is a combination of all power; it is the power to do everything in a 
state without accountability; to make laws, to execute and to apply them: to 
impose and collect taxes, and, levy, contributions; to make war or peace; to 
form treaties of alliance or of commerce with foreign nations, and the like. 
Story on the Const. Sec. 207. 
     2. Abstractedly, sovereignty resides in the body of the nation and 
belongs to the people. But these powers are generally exercised by 
delegation. 
     3. When analysed, sovereignty is naturally divided into three great 
powers; namely, the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary; the first 
is the power to make new laws, and to correct and repeal the old; the second 
is the power to execute the laws both at home and abroad; and the last is 
the power to apply the laws to particular facts; to judge the disputes which 
arise among the citizens, and to punish crimes. 
     4. Strictly speaking, in our republican forms of government, the 
absolute sovereignty of the nation is in the people of the nation; (q.v.) 
and the residuary sovereignty of each state, not granted to any of its 
public functionaries, is in the people of the state. (q.v.) 2 Dall. 471; and 
vide, generally, 2 Dall. 433, 455; 3 Dall. 93; 1 Story, Const. Sec. 208; 1 
Toull. n. 20 Merl. Repert. h.t.