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Governor
A governor is, in most cases, a public official with the power to govern the executive branch of a non-sovereign or sub-national level of government, ranking under the head of state. In federations, governor may be the title of a politician who governs a constituent state and may be either appointed or elected. The power of the individual governor can vary dramatically between political systems, with some governors having only nominal or largely ceremonial power, while others having a complete control over the entire government.
Historically, the title can also apply to the executive officials acting as representatives of a chartered company which has been granted exercise of sovereignty in a colonial area, such as the British East India Company or the Dutch East India Company. These companies operate as a major state within a state with its own armed forces.
There can also be non-political governors: high-ranking officials in private or similar governance such as commercial and non-profit management, styled governor(s), who simply govern an institution, such as a corporation or a bank. For example, in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries, there are prison governors (“wardens” in the United States), school governors and bank governors.
The adjective pertaining to a governor is gubernatorial, from the Latin root gubernare. The historical female form is governess, though female officials are referred to by the gender-neutral form governor (without the gender specific suffix) of the noun to avoid confusion with other meanings of the term.
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Governour (noun)
obsolete spelling of governor
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Governor (noun)
The chief executive officer of a province or provincial-level division of a country.
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Governor (noun)
A device which regulates or controls some action of a machine through automatic feedback.
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Governor (noun)
A member of a decision-making for an 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.”
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Governor (noun)
father.
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Governor (noun)
Boss, employer.
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Governor (noun)
A constituent of a phrase that governs another.
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Governor (noun)
One who has the care or guardianship of a young man; a tutor; a guardian.
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Governor (noun)
A pilot; a steersman.
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Governor (noun)
an official appointed to govern a town or region.
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Governor (noun)
the elected executive head of a state of the US.
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Governor (noun)
the representative of the British Crown in a colony or in a Commonwealth state that regards the monarch as head of state.
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Governor (noun)
the head of a public institution
“the governor of the Bank of England”
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Governor (noun)
a member of a governing body.
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Governor (noun)
the person in authority; one’s employer.
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Governor (noun)
a device automatically regulating the supply of fuel, steam, or water to a machine, ensuring uniform motion or limiting speed.