Definition: Governor
Etymology
From Middle English governour, from Old French gouvreneur, from Latin gubernator, from Ancient Greek κυβερνήτης (kubernḗtēs, “steersman, pilot, guide”), from κυβερνάω (kubernáō, “to steer, to drive, to guide, to act as a pilot”), of disputed origin. Doublet of gubernator.
Noun
governor (plural governors, feminine governess)
- (politics) The chief executive officer of a first-level division of a country.
- The leader of a region or state that is a member of a federation or an empire. In Rome, they were endorsed by the emperor and appointed by the Senate. In the modern United States, they are elected by the people of that state.
- A device which regulates or controls some action of a machine through automatic feedback.
- (informal) father
- (informal) boss, employer
- (UK, informal, dated) Term of address to a man; guv'nor.
Derived terms
- centrifugal governor
- governor general
- lieutenant governor
Related terms
- govern
- government
- gubernatorial
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
