different between govern vs governor

English

Etymology

From Middle English governen, governe, from Anglo-Norman and Old French governer, guverner, from Latin gubern?, from Ancient Greek ???????? (kuberná?, “I steer, drive, govern”)

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /???v?n/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???v?n/
• Hyphenation: gov?ern
• Rhymes: -?v?(?)n

Verb

govern (third-person singular simple present governs, present participle governing, simple past and past participle governed)

1. (transitive) To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in.

2. (transitive) To control the actions or behavior of; to keep under control; to restrain.
   • 2016, Justin Deschamps, Find the strength, courage, and discipline to govern yourself or be governed by someone else.

     Find the strength, courage, and discipline to govern yourself or be governed by someone else.

3. (transitive) To exercise a deciding or determining influence on.

4. (transitive) To control the speed, flow etc. of; to regulate.

5. (intransitive) To exercise political authority; to run a government.
6. (intransitive) To have or exercise a determining influence.
7. (transitive, grammar) To require that a certain preposition, grammatical case, etc. be used with a word; sometimes used synonymously with collocate.

Related terms

• government
• governance
• governor
• governess

Translations

Noun

govern (plural governs)

1. The act of governing

Catalan

Etymology

From the verb governar, or possibly from Late Latin gubernus or gubernius, from Latin gubernum or gubern?.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?o?v??n/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?u?b?rn/

Noun

govern m (plural governs)

1. government

Related terms

• governar

References

Further reading

• “govern” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “govern” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “govern” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

English

Alternative forms

• gouernour, gouvernor, gouvernour, governer, governour (all obsolete)
• guvnah, guvnuh (both informal)

Etymology

From Middle English governour, from Old French gouvreneur, from Latin gubernator, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (kubern?t?s, “steersman, pilot, guide”), from ???????? (kuberná?, “to steer, to drive, to guide, to act as a pilot”), of disputed origin. Doublet of gubernator.

Pronunciation

• (UK, non-rhotic) IPA^(key): /???v(?)n?(?)/
• (US, rhotic) IPA^(key): /???v??n??/
• (US, non-rhotic) IPA^(key): /???v?n?(?)/
• (US, rhotic, r-dissimilation) IPA^(key): /???v?n??/

Noun

governor (plural governors, feminine governess)

1. (politics) The chief executive officer of a first-level division of a country.
   • 1999, Karen O'Connor, The essentials of American government: continuity and change, p 17

     Younger voters are more libertarian in political philosophy than older voters and are credited with the success of libertarian governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota

2. A device which regulates or controls some action of a machine through automatic feedback.
3. A member of a decision-making for an organization or entity (including some public agencies) similar to or equivalent to a board of directors (used especially for banks); a member of the board of governors.
   • Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, www.federalreserve.gov (November 6, 2009)

     The seven members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

4. (informal) Father.
5. (informal) Boss, employer.
6. (grammar) A constituent of a phrase that governs another.
7. (dated) One who has the care or guardianship of a young man; a tutor; a guardian.
8. (nautical) A pilot; a steersman.

Synonyms

• (head of a province): viceroy (of large divisions of a kingdom or empire); proconsul (of Roman regions, historical); bailiff, seneschal, intendant (of French regions, historical); tao tai (obsolete), circuit intendant, intendant, daotai (of Chinese regions, historical); provost (obsolete); gubernator (now humorous)

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Translations

Middle English

Noun

governor

1. Alternative form of governour