governor

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. Doublet of gubernator. Cognate with cybernetic.

noun

1. (politics) The chief executive officer of a first-level 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 1999, Karen O'Connor, The essentials of American government: continuity and change, p 17
2. A device which regulates or controls some action of a machine through automatic feedback.
   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. 1961 October, “The first 1,250 h.p. Birmingham/Sulzer Type 2 diesels enter service”, in Trains Illustrated, page 607
3. 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. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, www.federalreserve.gov (November 6, 2009)
4. (informal) 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." 1869, Louisa May Alcott, An Old-Fashioned Girl
5. (informal) Boss; employer; gaffer.
6. (UK, informal, dated) Term of address to a man; guv'nor.
7. (grammar) A constituent of a phrase that governs another.
8. (dated) One who has the care or guardianship of a young man; a tutor; a guardian.
9. (nautical) A pilot; a steersman.