governor
/ˈɡʌv(ə)nə/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.71 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The chief executive officer of a first-level administrative division of a country.
noun
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.
noun
A superior, especially a boss, an employer, or (law enforcement) a superior police officer.
British usage; Informal
noun
A constituent of a phrase that governs another.
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek κυβερνάω (kubernáō)bor. 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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: governour, gouvreneur, gubernator, κυβερνήτης
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
centrifugal governor
Governor Generoso
Governors Island
lieutenant governor
governor-general
governor general
self-govern