government
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English governement, from Old French governement (French gouvernement), from Latin gubernatio (“management, government”), from Ancient Greek κυβερνισμός (kubernismos), κυβέρνησις (kubernēsis, “steering, pilotage, guiding”), from κυβερνάω (kubernaō, “I steer, drive, guide, pilot”) + -ment.
[edit] Pronunciation
- (RP) IPA: /ˈɡʌvənmənt/, SAMPA: /"gVv@nm@nt/
- (GenAm) IPA: /ˈɡʌvɚ(n)mənt/, SAMPA: /"gVv@`(n)m@nt/
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Audio (US) (file) -
Audio (UK) (file) - Hyphenation: gov‧ern‧ment
[edit] Noun
government (countable and uncountable; plural governments)
- The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.
- A group of people who hold a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in a given territory.
- The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power.
- (uncountable) The management or control of a system.
- The tenure of a chief of state.
[edit] Derived terms
Terms derived from government
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Usage notes
In the United States, "government" most often refers to the permanent body of the bureaucracy, courts, etc., what might be called the state in Britain. The British sense of "the government" is the prime minister and his cabinet ministers, what Americans would call an administration. In Canada government is used in both senses and neither state nor administration are used. Applied to many countries in continental Europe (when using English), the British usage is common.
[edit] Translations
government
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Translations to be checked
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[edit] Statistics
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Most common English words before 1923: according · walked · office · #600: government · particular · charge · church
