governor

nouncommon in dialogue

//ˈɡʌv(ə)nə//
//ˈɡʌvɚnɚ//
//ˈɡʌvənə//
//ˈɡʌvənɚ//

The chief executive officer of a first-level administrative division of a country.

noun

1
The chief executive officer of a first-level administrative division of a country.
Younger voters are more libertarian in political philosophy than older voters and are credited with the success of libertarian governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota.
Top aides and people close to Kamala Harris have divided over whether she should head home to run for California governor in 2026 — and it all comes down to whether they believe she could win the Democratic nomination for president in an expected competitive primary in 2028.
But gender is a factor both candidates will navigate in a country that has elected just 51 female state governors in its history.
2
A device which regulates or controls some action of a machine through automatic feedback.
A governor on the injection pump limits the speed when running idle.
Generator excitation is obtained by a combination of the separately-excited and self-excited fields, and the output is controlled by a resistance in the separate field circuit adjusted by the load regulator under the control of the engine governor.
The turning point came in 1923, says Norton, when 42,000 Cincinnati residents signed a petition for a ballot initiative that would require all cars to have a governor limiting them to 25 miles per hour.
3
A member of a decision-making body (such as a committee) for a larger 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.
The seven members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
4
datedTerm of address to a man.
"Oh, right you are, governor, if you say so," accepted Fank […]
5
informalA superior, especially a boss, an employer, or (law enforcement) a superior police officer.
DCI Tom Barnaby: ... so far, your detective sergeant is absolutely believable. Nico Bentley: Terrific. Why? Barnaby: You've observed Rule Number 1: Always keep the governor waiting.
6
archaicSynonym of father.
"Say 'father.' We never called him papa; and if one of my brothers had addressed him as 'governor,' as boys do now, I really think he'd have him cut off with a shilling."
7
A constituent of a phrase that governs another.
8
datedOne who has the care or guardianship of a young man; a tutor; a guardian.
9
A pilot; a steersman.

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κῠβερνᾰ́ω (kŭbernắō)der. Latin gubernō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin gubernator Old French gouvreneurbor. Middle English governour English governor 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. By surface analysis, govern + -or. Doublet of gubernator.

Forms

plural: governors

govern · To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to…governess · A woman paid to educate children in their own home.government · The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to…

governor · The chief executive officer of a first-level administrative division of a country.

Governor · The title for someone who holds the post of governor.gown · A loose, flowing upper garment.GPS · To locate something using a GPS system.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.