Popular sovereignty

/ˈpɑpjələr ˈsɑvrənti/ noun phrase

Definition

The principle that political power and governmental authority derive from the will and consent of the people. It holds that citizens are the ultimate source of political legitimacy, typically expressed through elections and democratic participation.

Etymology

From Latin 'populus' (people) and 'superanus' (supreme). The concept developed during the Enlightenment but the specific phrase gained prominence in American politics during the 1850s slavery debates.

Kelly Says

Popular sovereignty became explosive in 1850s America when Stephen Douglas proposed letting territories vote on whether to allow slavery—'let the people decide!' This seemingly democratic idea actually helped trigger the Civil War by making slavery expansion a matter of local choice rather than national moral principle.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
ህዝብ አገልግሎት
he-z-ib a-ge-l-g-lot
ARالعربية
سيادة الشعب
say-dah ash-sha'b
BNবাংলা
জনগণের স্বায়ত্তশাসন
jon-gon-er sw-ay-at-t-sha-san
CACatalà
sobirania popular
soh-bee-rah-nee-ah poh-poo-lar
CSČeština
národní suverenita
na-rod-ni soo-veh-reh-ni-ta
DADansk
folkemagten
fol-keh-mag-ten
DEDeutsch
Volkssouveränität
folk-soh-vay-rah-neit
ELΕλληνικά
δημοκρατία
di-mo-kra-tee-ah
ESEspañol
soberanía popular
soh-ber-ah-nee-ah poh-poo-lar
FAفارسی
حاکمیت مردم
ha-ak-mi-teh-e nar-do-m
FISuomi
kansanvalta
kan-san-val-ta
FRFrançais
souveraineté populaire
soo-vray-nay-teh poh-poo-lair
GUGU
જનતાનું શાસન
jan-ta-nuu sha-san
HAHA
gaba
gah-bah
HEעברית
סמכות העם
se-mekh-ot ha-am
HIहिन्दी
लोक सत्ता
lo-k sat-tah
HUMagyar
népi szuverenitás
neh-pee soo-veh-reh-nah-tee-as
IDBahasa Indonesia
kedaulatan rakyat
keh-daul-ah-tan ra-ya-kat
IGIG
ọkụlọ
oh-koo-loh
ITItaliano
sovranità popolare
soh-vrah-nee-tah poh-poo-la-reh
JA日本語
民 SOVEREIGNTY
min sov-er-eign-tee
KKKK
халық өздігі
ha-lyq oz-di-gi
KMKM
អនុស្រ័យ
a-nu-sra-y
KO한국어
민주주의
min-ju-joo-ee
MRMR
लोकशाही
lo-k-sha-hee
MSBahasa Melayu
kedaulatan rakyat
keh-daul-ah-tan ra-ya-kat
MYမြန်မာ
ပြည်သူ လွှမ်းမိုး
pye-thee-too l-h-we-mo
NLNederlands
popular soevereiniteit
po-p-u-lar soh-veh-reh-n-ee-teyt
NONorsk
folkemakt
fol-keh-makt
PAPA
ਲੋਕ ਸ਼ਾਸਨ
lok sha-san
PLPolski
suwerenność ludowa
soo-veh-ren-no-st loo-doh-vah
PTPortuguês
soberania popular
soh-ber-ah-nee-ah poh-poo-lar
RORomână
suveranitate populară
soo-veh-rah-ni-ta poh-poo-la-rah
RUРусский
народное самоопределение
nar-od-noye samo-oo-opre-de-le-ni-ye
SVSvenska
folkrätt
folk-r-ätt
SWKiswahili
uongozi wa wananchi
oo-on-go-zi wa wa-na-n-chi
TAதமிழ்
மக்கள் ஆட்சி
mak-kal a-k-shi
TEతెలుగు
జన సార్వభౌము
ja-na sa-ar-va-bhau-mu
THไทย
อำนาจของประชาชน
am-nahk koh pra-cha-chon
TLTL
sobrangang ng bayan
soh-b-rang-ang ng bay-an
TRTürkçe
halk egemenliği
halk eh-geh-men-leh-kee
UKУкраїнська
народне самоврядування
nar-od-ne samo-v-ry-u-va-n-ye
URاردو
جمہوریہ
jam-ho-ree-ah
VITiếng Việt
quyền dân chủ
kween dan chu
YOYO
ẹ̀rọ̀
eh-roh
ZH中文
人民主权
rénmín zhǔquán
ZUZU
umngqophiso
oom-ng-qo-phi-soh

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.