govern
/ˈɡʌvən/GUH-vurn
/ˈɡʌvɚn/GUH-vurn
Meaningto steer
Common meaning: to rule
- governto steer a ship; to directLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 454 · scan
Journey through time
- Greekκυβερνάω‘to steer a ship’
- Latingubernare
- Old Frenchgovernersource
- Middle Englishgouernensource
- Englishmeaning shiftsto steer a ship → to rulegovern‘to rule’ · today
govern also in: governorgovernmentcybernetics
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek κυβερνάω ‘to steer a ship; to direct’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry κυβερνάω, p. 454 · dictionary scan
Roots
- κυβερνάω Greek “to steer a ship; to direct”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app