govern

Meanings

Verb

• To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in.
• To control the actions or behavior of; to keep under control; to restrain.
• To exercise a deciding or determining influence on.
• To handle, to manage, to oversee (a matter, an affair, a household, etc.).
• To control the speed, flow etc. of; to regulate.
• To direct the course of, to guide in some direction, to steer.
• To look after, to take care of, to tend to (someone or some plant).
• To manage, to control, to work (a tool or mechanical device).
• To exercise political authority; to run a government.
• To have or exercise a determining influence.
• To require that a certain preposition, grammatical case, etc. be used with a word; sometimes used synonymously with collocate.

Noun

• The act of governing

Origin

• From Middle English governen, governe, from Anglo-Norman and Old French governer, guverner, from Latin gubernō, from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω ("I steer, drive, govern")