govern Look up govern at Dictionary.com
c.1300, from O.Fr. governer "govern," from L. gubernare "to direct, rule, guide," originally "to steer," from Gk. kybernan "to steer or pilot a ship, direct" (the root of cybernetics). The -k- to -g- sound shift is perhaps via the medium of Etruscan.
governor Look up governor at Dictionary.com
c.1300, from L. gubernatorem (nom. gubernator) "director, ruler, governor," originally "steersman, pilot" (see govern). The adjective gubernatorial (1734, chiefly in Amer.Eng.) remembers the Latin form.
government Look up government at Dictionary.com
1550s, "system by which a thing is governed" (especially a state), from O.Fr. governement (Mod.Fr. gouvernement), from governer (see govern). Replaced M.E. governance. Meaning "action of governing" is from 1560s; meaning "governing power" in a given place is from 1702.
wield Look up wield at Dictionary.com
O.E. weldan (Mercian), wieldan, wealdan (W.Saxon) "to govern, possess, have control over" (class VII strong verb; past tense weold, pp. gewealden), merged with weak verb wyldan, both from P.Gmc. *wal-t- (cf. O.S., Goth. waldan, O.Fris. walda "to govern, rule," O.N. valda "to rule, wield, to cause," O.H.G. waltan, Ger. walten "to rule, govern"), probably from PIE *waldh- (cf. O.C.S. vlado "to rule," vlasti "power;" Lith. veldu "to rule, possess"), from base *wal- "to be strong, to rule" (see valiant).
Queensberry Rules Look up Queensberry Rules at Dictionary.com
drawn up 1867 by Sir John Sholto Douglas (1844-1900), 8th Marquis of Queensberry, to govern the sport of boxing in Great Britain.
gubernatorial Look up gubernatorial at Dictionary.com
1734, formed in Amer.Eng. from L. gubernator (see govern).
economize Look up economize at Dictionary.com
1640s, "to govern a household," from economy + -ize. Meaning "to spend less" is from 1790.
dominate Look up dominate at Dictionary.com
1610s, from L. dominat-, pp. stem of dominari "to govern," from dominus (see domain). Related: Dominated; dominating.
preside Look up preside at Dictionary.com
1611, from Fr. présider "preside over, govern" (15c.), from L. prĉsidere "stand guard, superintend," lit. "sit in front of," from prĉ- "before" + sedere "to sit" (see sedentary).
hen Look up hen at Dictionary.com
O.E. hen, from W.Gmc. *khannjo (cf. M.Du. henne, O.H.G. henna), fem. of *khan(e)ni "male fowl, cock" (cf. O.E. hana "cock"), lit. "bird who sings for sunrise," from PIE base *kan- "to sing" (see chant). The original masc. word survives in Ger. (Hahn "cock"), Swed., Dan., etc.; extension to "female of any bird species" is early 14c. in English. Hen as slang for "woman" dates from 1620s; hence hen party "gathering of women," first recorded 1887. Henpecked is from 1680.
"The henpect Man rides behind his Wife, and lets her wear the Spurs and govern the Reins." [Samuel Butler]