|
GUBERNATORIAL [Q] From Connie Anderson: Gubernatorial: any info on this word? [A] This is the adjective relating to a governor, particularly a governor in one of the states in the US. It looks odd because whoever coined it in the eighteenth century went back to the Latin original of the word governor, which is gubernator, and re-imported it. That word comes from the verb gubernare, to govern, but which originally meant to steer a ship, hence its figurative sense of “one who guides or leads”; it came to Latin from the Greek kubernan, “to steer”, and so is related to our modern word cybernetics and all the words beginning cyber-. |
Page created 17 Oct. 1998
E-Magazine
Try the weekly World Wide Words e-magazine — it features words in the news, weird words, new(ish) words, old words, words people ask questions about, and even the occasional grovelling correction.
  Notes and comments
Michael Quinion's new book is now out!
World Wide Words is supported by its readers: take a look here to see how you can help.
Can't tell your sinistro- from your dextro-? Help is at hand! Consult my dictionary of word beginnings and endings.
Try a page at random
|