government English · revision 1805

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=late 14th century (Chaucer)|origins=grc κυβερνᾶν}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡʌv.ən.mənt/, /ˈɡʌv.əm.mənt/ ''(UK)''; /ˈɡʌv.ɚn.mənt/ ''(US)''^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|governement]], [[bor|fro|governement|t=control, direction, administration]],^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) from [[m|fro|governer|t=to steer; to rule]] and [[m|fro|-ment]].^(MWU 2024)^(Webster's Third 1961) ''Governer'' is [[der|la|gubernāre|t=to steer, pilot; to direct, rule]],^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966) a nautical borrowing [[der|grc|κυβερνᾶν|tr=kubernân|t=to steer, pilot a ship]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The act of governing or ruling; also the system by which something is governed (late 14th century, in Chaucer).^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Etymonline and the Shorter Oxford date the word to the late 14th century, while Hoad gives the 16th.^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)^(Hoad 1986) Its early senses included the government of oneself: management of the body and moral conduct or discretion, as in Shakespeare's “want of government”.^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002) It was used of steering a ship from 1562 to 1699.^(HTOED) The sense “the system by which a state is ruled” is from 1553,^(HTOED) and Johnson (1755) gave this as his first sense.^(Johnson 1755) For “the governing power of a country”, the HTOED has 1541 and Etymonline 1702.^(HTOED)^(Etymonline) In grammar, ''government'' has meant the control of one word's case by another since 1569.^(HTOED) In Australia, Morris recorded ''Government'' as a common shortening of “Government service”.^(Morris 1898) In British youth slang since about 2016, one's ''government name'' is one's real name.^(GDoS)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 14th century – the act of governing (Chaucer).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1541 – the governing power in a country.^(HTOED)

+ * 1550 – a period of rule.^(HTOED)

+ * 1553 – the system by which a state is governed.^(HTOED)

+ * 1554 – a territory under a governor.^(HTOED)

+ * 1562 – the working or steering of a ship (obsolete by 1699).^(HTOED)

+ * 1569 – (grammar) the control of one word's form by another.^(HTOED)

+ * 1702 – the governing power in a place.^(Etymonline)

+ * 2016 – ''government name'', one's real name (British slang).^(GDoS)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The body of people who govern a state; a particular [[ministry]] in office.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+ # The system by which a state or community is governed.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+ # The act or manner of governing; political rule.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(grammar)'' The relation in which one word determines the form of another.^(COED 2004)^(Chambers 2008)

+ # ''(archaic)'' An administrative division; a territory.^(Chambers 2008)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[governmental]]

+ * [[governmentally]]

+ * [[antigovernment]]

+ * [[government-in-exile]]

+ * [[nongovernment]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[govern]]

+ * [[governance]]

+ * [[governor]]

+ * [[gubernatorial]]

+ * [[cybernetics]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In American usage ''government'' always takes a singular verb; in British usage, meaning a group of ministers, it often takes a plural one (''the government are determined'').^(AHD)^(COED 2004) The pronunciation with the first ''n'' merged into the following ''m'' is standard.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}