DictionarysovereignBritish gold coin
noun

sovereign

A British gold coin with a face value of one pound.

The collector examines a gold sovereign.

Etymology

The gold coin takes the ruler’s title as its name, associated with the sovereign represented on it. The title became a denomination for the one-pound coin.

More examples

  • Two sovereigns lay in the small purse.
  • The catalog lists the sovereign's year.
  • He kept the old sovereign in a case.

Forms

sovereign · sovereigns