sovereignty
n. uncountablen. the power of a country to control its own government and make its own laws without outside help. It can also mean the power of a king or queen.
n. the supreme power or authority of a state to govern itself or another state. It may also refer to the status of a self-governing entity or the authority of a monarch.
The nation fought hard to regain its sovereignty.
The treaty was designed to protect the sovereignty of smaller nations against interference from their larger neighbors.
In a globalized economy, many argue that national sovereignty is increasingly compromised by the influence of international financial institutions and multinational corporations.
PIE word *upér From Late Middle English sovereynte, souvereynte [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman sovereyneté, soverentee, and Old French soveraineté, souveraineté (modern French souveraineté), from soverain + -té (suffix forming nouns, often denoting a property or quality). Soverain is derived from Vulgar Latin superānus (“chief; sovereign”), from Latin super (“above; on top of”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European upér (“above, over”)) + -ānus (“suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, usually denoting a relationship of origin, position, or possession”)). The English word is analysable as sovereign + -ty (suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives).
Often used with the possessive (e.g., 'a nation's sovereignty') or as an object of verbs like 'assert', 'violate', or 'relinquish'.