suzerain
Syllables: su·ze·rain/ˈs(j)uz(ə)ɹən/
suzerain noun: a dominant nation or state that has control over the international affairs of a subservient state which otherwise has domestic autonomy.
Noun
suzerain (plural suzerains)
- A dominant nation or state that has control over the international affairs of a subservient state which otherwise has domestic autonomy.
- Suzerainty is a term which was originally used for the relation between the feudal lord and his vassal; the lord was said to be the suzerain of the vassal, and at that time suzerainty was a term of Constitutional Law only. With the disappearance of the feudal system, suzerainty of this kind...1920–1921, L[assa Francis Lawrence] Oppenheim, edited by Ronald F. Roxburgh, International Law: A Treatise, 3rd edition, volume I (Peace), London; New York, N.Y.: Longman, Green and Co., page 162
- The origin of these conflicts is to be sought in the position which Rome acquired about 275 b.c. as suzerain and protector of all Italy.1911, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, volume 22, Punic Wars, page 649
- A feudal landowner to whom vassals were forced to pledge allegiance.
suzerain meaning in Urdu and Vietnamese
suzerain in Urdu
- جاگیر دار
suzerain in Vietnamese
- feudal landowner
- chúa
Forms of suzerain
| plural | suzerains |
|---|
Origin of suzerain
From French suzerain, based on sus (“up, above”) (from Latin sursum) with the ending of souverain (whence also English sovereign).
Words formed from suzerain
Questions about suzerain
- What does suzerain mean?
- Suzerain means a dominant nation or state that has control over the international affairs of a subservient state which otherwise has domestic autonomy.
- What is suzerain in Urdu?
- Suzerain in Urdu is جاگیر دار. See Suzerain meaning in Urdu.
- What part of speech is suzerain?
- Suzerain is a noun.
- How do you pronounce suzerain?
- Suzerain is pronounced /ˈs(j)uz(ə)ɹən/.
- What is the plural of suzerain?
- The plural of suzerain is suzerains.
Words near suzerain in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: suzerain (page history and authors); suzerain (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-suzerain.wav.
Cite this entry: “suzerain.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/suzerain. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.