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governor general

 - 3 dictionary results

governor general

 
Use governor general in a Sentence
–noun, plural governors general, governor generals.
1. a governor who is chief over subordinate or deputy governors.
2. governor (def. 3).
Also, gov⋅er⋅nor-gen⋅er⋅al.

Origin:
1580–90

Related forms:
gov⋅er⋅nor-gen⋅er⋅al⋅ship, noun

gov⋅er⋅nor

  [guhv-er-ner, ‑uh-ner]
–noun
1. the executive head of a state in the U.S.
2. a person charged with the direction or control of an institution, society, etc.: the governors of a bank; the governor of a prison.
3. Also called governor general. the representative of the crown, as in the Commonwealth of Nations.
4. a ruler or chief magistrate appointed to govern a province, town, fort, or the like.
5. Machinery. a device for maintaining uniform speed regardless of changes of load, as by regulating the supply of fuel or working fluid.
6. British Informal.
a. one's father.
b. one's employer.
c. any man of superior rank or status.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME governour < OF governeor, gouverneur < L gubernātōrem, acc. of gubernātor = gubernā(re) to steer, govern + -tor -tor

Pronunciation note:
In governor, the process of dissimilation—the tendency for neighboring like sounds to become unlike or for one of them to disappear entirely—commonly results in the loss of the first [r] of [guhv-er-ner], producing the pronunciation [guhv-uh-ner]. This pronunciation is heard even in regions where postvocalic [r] is not usually dropped. A further loss, of the medial unstressed vowel, results in [guhv-ner]. All three pronunciations are standard. See colonel, February, library.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To governor general
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: gov·er·nor
Pronunciation: 'g&-v&r-n&r
Function: noun
: one that governs: as a : one that exercises authority esp. over an area or group b : an official elected or appointed to act as ruler, chief executive, or nominal head of a political unit; specifically : the chief executive of a U.S. state c : the managing director and usually the principal officer of an institution or organization d : a member of a group that controls or directs an institution Governors> —gov·er·nor·ship noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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