Etymology
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sovereign (n.)

late 13c., soverain, "superior, ruler, master, one who is superior to or has power over another," from Old French soverain "sovereign, lord, ruler," noun use of adjective meaning "highest, supreme, chief" (see sovereign (adj.)). Specifically by c. 1300 as "a king or queen, one who exercises dominion over people, a recognized supreme ruler of a realm." Also of Church authorities and heads of orders or houses as well as local civic officials.

Middle English had a tendency to add an unetymological -t to it, as in pheasant, tyrant. The spelling also was influenced by folk-etymology association with reign. Middle English Compendium lists 38 spellings including suffereignes; Elizabeth I, who was one, spelled it seven different ways. Milton prints it sovran, as though from Italian sovrano.

The meaning "gold coin worth 22s 6d" is attested from late 15c.; the value of it changed 1817 to 1 pound. In the political writings of 17c.-18c. it often has a sense of "the populace as the source of political power, the community in its collective and legislative capacity" and can be opposed to monarch.

Should it be argued, that a government like this, where the sovereignty resides in the whole body of the people, is a democracy ; it may be answered, that the right of sovereignty in all nations is unalienable and indivisible, and does and can reside nowhere else ; but, not to recur to a principle so general, the exercise, as well as the right of sovereignty, in Rome, resided in the people, but the government was not a democracy. In America, the right of sovereignty resides indisputably in the body of the people, and they have the whole property of land. [John Adams, "Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America," 1787-88]
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sovereign (adj.)

early 14c., of persons, "great, superior, supreme;" mid-14c., "having supreme power;" from Old French soverain "highest, supreme, chief," from Vulgar Latin *superanus "chief, principal" (source also of Spanish soberano, Italian soprano), from Latin super "over" (from PIE root *uper "over"). Of remedies or medicines, "potent in a high degree," from late 14c.

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sovereignty (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.

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suzerain (n.)

"sovereign, ruler, feudal lord or baron," 1807, suzereign, from French suzerain (14c., Old French suserain), noun use of an adjective meaning "sovereign but not supreme," from the adverb sus "up, above," on analogy of soverain (see sovereign (adj.)). Old French sus is from Vulgar Latin *susum, from Latin sursum "upward, above," a contraction of subversum, from subvertere "turn upside down, overturn, overthrow" (see subvert). The fem. form is suzeraine.

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soprano (n.)

"the highest (female) singing voice," ranging easily through the two octaves above middle C, 1730, from Italian soprano "the treble in music," literally "high," from sopra "above," from Latin supra, fem. ablative singular of super "above, over" (see super-). Compare sovereign (adj.).

The meaning "a singer having a soprano voice" is from 1738. As an adjective also from 1730. Related: Sopranist. The Italian plural is soprani. Soprano saxophone is attested from 1859.

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*uper 

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "over."

It forms all or part of: hyper-; insuperable; over; over-; sirloin; somersault; soprano; soubrette; sovereign; sum; summit; super-; superable; superb; superior; supernal; supra-; supreme; sur-.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit upari, Avestan upairi "over, above, beyond;" Greek hyper, Latin super "above, over;" Old English ofer "over," German über, Gothic ufaro "over, across;" Gaulish ver-, Old Irish for.

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Ra 

"hawk-headed sovereign sun god of Egyptian mythology," from Egyptian R' "sun, day."

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city-state (n.)

"city which is an independent sovereign state," 1877, from city + state (n.).

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royally (adv.)

late 14c., "regally, in a manner befitting a sovereign, with royal pomp and splendor;" 1836, "gloriously" (colloquial), from royal (adj.) + -ly (2).

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hegemon (n.)

1897, originally with reference to the position of Great Britain in the world, from Greek hēgemon "an authority, leader, sovereign" (see hegemony).

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