different between government vs opposition

English

Alternative forms

• (nonstandard) gub'mint, gubmint, gummint, gubbamint, guvmint, guvment, gumment, guv'ment, guv'mint, gubbermint, gubment, gub'ment, govermint, guvverment, guvvermint, guverment, guvermint

Etymology

From Middle English governement, from Old French governement (modern French gouvernement), from governer (see govern) + -ment.

Morphologically govern +? -ment

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???v?(n)m?nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???v?(n)m?nt/
• Hyphenation: gov?ern?ment

Noun

government (countable and uncountable, plural governments)

1. The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.

   British government has historically centred exclusively on London.
2. (grammar, linguistics) The relationship between a word and its dependents.
3. The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power.
4. (uncountable) The management or control of a system.
5. The tenure of a chief of state.

Usage notes

In the United States, "government" is considered to be divided into three branches; the legislature (the House of Representatives and the Senate) which makes law, the Administration (under the President) which runs sections of government within the law, and the Courts, which adjudicate on matters of the law. This is a much wider meaning of "government" than exists in other countries where the term "government" means the ruling political force of the prime minister and his/her cabinet ministers (what Americans would call the Administration). In Britain, the administrative organs of the nation are collectively referred to as "the state". In Canada government is used in both senses and neither state nor administration are used. Applied to many countries in continental Europe (when using English), the British usage is common.

In Britain, the word is often capitalised when referring to the UK government.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• ocracy

English

Etymology

From Middle English opposicioun, from Old French oposicion (whence French opposition), from Late Latin oppositi?, translating Ancient Greek ????????? (antíthesis), from the past participle stem of classical Latin opp?n? (“I set against”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?p??z???n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p??z??n?/

Noun

opposition (plural oppositions)

1. The action of opposing or of being in conflict.
2. An opposite or contrasting position.
3. (astronomy) The apparent relative position of two celestial bodies when one is at an angle of 180 degrees from the other as seen from the Earth.
5. (politics) A political party or movement opposed to the party or government in power.
6. (law) In United States intellectual property law, a proceeding in which an interested party seeks to prevent the registration of a trademark or patent.
7. (chess) A position in which the player on the move must yield with his king allowing his opponent to advance with his own king.
8. (logic) The difference of quantity or quality between two propositions having the same subject and predicate.

Antonyms

• apposition

Translations

Further reading

• opposition on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Noun

opposition

1. Genitive singular form of oppositio.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from post-classical Latin oppositi? (translating Ancient Greek ????????? (antíthesis)), from the past participle stem of classical Latin opp?n? (“I set against”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?.po.zi.sj??/

Noun

opposition f (plural oppositions)

1. opposition

Derived terms

• par opposition à

Further reading

• “opposition” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).