"province of the Turkish empire," 1869, from Turkish, from Arabic wilayah "province," from wali "governor," from waliya "he reigned, governed."

also a-rational, "not purporting to be governed by laws of reason," 1935; see a- (2) + rational.

1590s, "capable of being handled or manipulated;" c. 1600, "capability of being governed or controlled," from manage + -able. Related: Manageably.

also priest-ridden, "managed or governed by priests," usually in a negative or hostile sense, 1650s, from priest + ridden.

title given in Muslim lands to one learned in theology and sacred law, 1610s, from Turkish molla, Persian and Urdu mulla, from Arabic mawla "master," from waliya "reigned, governed."

1610s, "Croatian military chief," a title given to those who governed and guarded the southern marches of Hungary, later to the Austrian-appointed governors of Croatia and Slovenia, from Serbo-Croatian ban "lord, master, ruler," from Persian ban "prince, lord, chief, governor," which is cognate with Sanskrit pati "guards, protects." Hence banat "district governed by a ban," with Latinate suffix -atus. The Persian word is said to have gotten into Slavic via the Avars.

1530s, "civil organization;" 1640s, "an organized human society or community, body of persons forming a community governed according to a recognized system of government," from French politie (early 15c.) or directly from Late Latin polita "organized government" (see policy (n.1)).

1734, of persons, "self-control;" 1798, of states, nations, provinces, cities, etc., "administration of its own affairs without outside direction or interference," from self- + government. Related: Self-governing (1680s); self-governed (1709 as an adjective, of persons, "marked by self-control").

"governed or ruled by the majority; supporting the majority party," 1917, from majority + political ending -arian. It seems to have been used first in a German context, in reference to the moderate Majority Socialists, and it is perhaps based on Bolshevik. As a noun by 1920. Related: Majoritarianism.

"religious house under the governance of a prior," next in dignity below an abbey, late 13c., priorie, from Anglo-French priorie (mid-13c.), from Medieval Latin prioria "monastery governed by a prior; office of a prior," from Latin prior (see prior (n.)). Middle English had priorwike for "position or office of a prior" (early 13c.); priority (early 15c.) also was used in this sense, as were priorhede (early 15c.), priorate (c. 1400).