governor

B1 Topic:People & Society

Also spelled guv’nor

US /ˈɡʌv(ə)nə(ɹ)/ See IPA manual

Freq #2233

Meanings

1

noun
The person in charge of running a state or region, especially in the United States.

The governor of California gave a speech about the new budget.
2

noun
A member of a group that manages an organization such as a school, bank, or hospital.

She was elected to the board of governors of the local school.
3

noun
A device that automatically controls the speed of a machine.

A governor limits the engine's speed when it runs idle.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the person in charge of... viceroy

3 noun · a device that automatically... regulator

Word family

Forms governors

Derived forms archgovernorcogovernorgovgov'norgovernatorgovernoressgovernorlygovernorshipguvguv'norsubgovernorundergovernor

Related forms govern governmentgovernor-generalgovernorategubernatorialkubernetesself-govern

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

lieutenant governor
an official who serves as a deputy to a state governor

Noun + noun

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. By surface analysis, govern + -or. Doublet of gubernator.

governour Middle English gouvreneur Old French gubernator Latin κυβερνήτης Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# governor

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡʌv(ə)nə(ɹ)/
**Frequency rank:** 2233

## Meanings
1. The person in charge of running a state or region, especially in the United States.
2. A member of a group that manages an organization such as a school, bank, or hospital.
3. A device that automatically controls the speed of a machine.

## Examples
- The governor of California gave a speech about the new budget.
- She was elected to the board of governors of the local school.
- A governor limits the engine's speed when it runs idle.

## Derived Forms
- archgovernor
- cogovernor
- gov
- gov'nor
- governator
- governoress
- governorly
- governorship
- guv
- guv'nor
- subgovernor
- undergovernor

## Related Forms
- govern
- government
- governor-general
- governorate
- gubernatorial
- kubernetes
- self-govern

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: governour
- Root: gouvreneur
- Root: gubernator
- Root: κυβερνήτης

## 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. By surface analysis, govern + -or. Doublet of gubernator.

## AI Etymology
Governor comes 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. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. In current use, the main senses are “The person in charge of running a state or region, especially in the United States” and “A member of a group that manages an organization such as a school, bank, or hospital”.

## Topics
- People & Society

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