English

Etymology

From Middle English governement, < Old French, < Latin gubernatio (“‘management, government’”), < Ancient Greek κυβερνισμός (kubernismos), κυβέρνησις (kubernēsis), “‘steering, pilotage, guiding’”), < κυβερνάω (kubernaō), “‘I steer, drive, guide, pilot’”) + -ment.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈgʌvənmənt/, SAMPA: /"gVv@nm@nt/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ˈɡʌvɚnmənt/, SAMPA: /"gVv@`nm@nt/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
•  Audio (UK)^{help, file}
• Hyphenation: gov‧ern‧ment

Noun

government (countable and uncountable; plural governments)

1. The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws for a country, land area, people, or organization.
2. A group of people who hold a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in a given territory.
3. The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power.
4. (uncountable) The management or control of a system.
5. The tenure of a chief of state.

Derived terms

Related terms

• govern
• governance
• governor

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.

Translations