hoheit

Hoheit is a German noun meaning majesty or sovereignty. In political and ceremonial language it denotes the supreme authority of a state or ruler and is also used in royal protocol as part of honorifics to address or refer to members of royal families.

The word derives from Middle High German hoheit, from hoch meaning high, with the abstract-noun suffix -heit. It is cognate with related terms in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch hoogheid and English highness. Historically, hoheit carried both the sense of abstract sovereignty and the personified authority of a ruler or state.

In contemporary German, Hoheit is mainly restricted to formal, ceremonial, or legal contexts. Abstractly, sovereignty is more commonly described with Souveränität or Staatsgewalt, whereas Hoheit often emphasizes the ceremonial authority of a ruler or state. The term also appears in expressions such as Hoheitsrechte (sovereign rights) and Ausübung der Hoheit (exercise of sovereignty).

As a title, Hoheit appears in honorifics used to address or refer to royal or noble persons, typically in phrases like Seine/ Ihre Hoheit or Königliche Hoheit, depending on the tradition. These forms are part of royal protocoll and historical or ceremonial language, and their usage varies by country and historical period.

Today, the German term Hoheit is less common in everyday speech and is primarily found in discussions of constitutional law, history, or in coverage of monarchies in other countries. It remains a standard lexical item for describing the concept of supreme authority and the ceremonial aspect of royal power.