suzerainty

[ soo-zuh-rin-tee, -reyn- ]

noun

, plural su·ze·rain·ties.

1. the position or authority of a suzerain.
2. the domain or area subject to a suzerain.

suzerainty

/ ˈsuːzərəntɪ /

noun

1. the position, power, or dignity of a suzerain
2. the relationship between suzerain and subject

Word History and Origins

Origin of suzerainty¹

1815–25; < French suzeraineté, Middle French suserenete, equivalent to suseren suzerain + -ete -ity

Example Sentences

Russian suzerainty over Belarus expanded after large-scale protests in 2020 and has only grown over the course of the war.

From New York Times

Russian suzerainty over Belarus expanded after large-scale protests in 2020 and has only grown over the course of the war.

From New York Times

Six decades since she had ascended the throne, Victoria, then half-blind and generally infirm, was at the top of an imperial chain that wound its way across every continent, binding together a quarter of the globe under the suzerainty of the British crown.

From Washington Post

Over the centuries, Tibet evolved from a collection of kingdoms to something like a unified state that accepted suzerainty under successive Chinese imperial dynasties that ruled until 1912.

From Seattle Times

His spiritual suzerainty is unquestioned.

From Slate