noun /ˈkɹiːʧə,ˈkɻiːʧɚ/
Thoughts, my mindes creatures, often are with thee, / But I, their maker, want their libertie.
they, too, despite the appearance of being creatures rather than creators of the Union, could assert the prior sovereignty of their states, for each had formed a state constitution […] before petitioning Congress for admission to the Union.
Wikipedia foundation.