government
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (RP) IPA: /ˈɡʌvənmənt/, X-SAMPA: /"gVv@nm@nt/
- (GenAm) IPA: /ˈɡʌvɚ(n)mənt/, X-SAMPA: /"gVv@`(n)m@nt/
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Audio (US) (file) -
Audio (UK) (file) - Hyphenation: gov‧ern‧ment
Noun[edit]
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.
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Usage notes[edit]
In the United States, "government" is considered to be divided into three branches; the legislature (the House of Representatives and the Senate) which makes law, the Administration (under the President) which runs sections of government within the law, and the Courts, which adjudicate on matters of the law. This is a much wider meaning of "government" than exists in other countries where the term "government" means the ruling political force of the prime minister and his/her cabinet ministers (what Americans would call the Administration). In Britain, the administrative organs of the nation are collectively referred to as "the state". 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.
Translations[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
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Statistics[edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: according · walked · office · #600: government · particular · charge · church
