guv
[guhv]
- term of address used to a man, especially by a younger man, boy, employee, or social inferior.
- governor(def 6).
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Origin of guv
First recorded in 1850–55; by shortening and respelling
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
administratorsupervisorcomptrollermanagerrulerexecutivebossdirectorchiefoverseersuperintendentcommanderheadleadercontrollerguvExamples from the Web for guv
Contemporary Examples
The Guv quipped, “Here in California, they do have men that become women.”
Historical Examples
Not as the guv'nor do anything more'n his duty in puttin' of him out—nowise!
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Beg yer pardon, Guv'nor, but could yer lend me a bathin' suit?
Gawd love you, guv'nor, they'd fight 'ell's blazes, them chaps would!
Changing WindsSt. John G. Ervine
And, jerking his head back towards the room behind him, "Guv'nor's got it now."
The Burning SpearJohn Galsworthy
Tell ye what, jedge, that feller'll be guv'ner of a State one of these days.
Two ArrowsWilliam O. Stoddard
guv
guv'nor (ˈɡʌvnə)
- British an informal name for governor
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for guv
1890, shortening of guvner, casual British pronunciation of governor as a title of respect.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper