01 n. One who governs; especially, one who is invested with the supreme executive authority in a State; a chief ruler or magistrate; as, the gove…
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1.
One who governs; especially, one who is invested with the supreme executive authority in a State; a chief ruler or magistrate; as, the governor of Pennsylvania.
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2.
One who has the care or guardianship of a young man; a tutor; a guardian.
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3.
A pilot; a steersman.(Naut.) [R.]
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4.
A contrivance applied to steam engines, water wheels, and other machinery, to maintain nearly uniform speed when the resistances and motive force are variable.(Mach.)
Phrases & compounds
Governor cut-off —
a variable cut-off gear in which the governor acts in such a way as to cause the steam to be cut off from entering the cylinder at points of the stroke dependent upon the engine's speed.
Hydraulic governor —
a governor which is operated by the action of a liquid in flowing; a cataract.