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government

[ guhv-ern-muhnt, ‐er-muhnt ]
/ ˈgʌv ərn mənt, ‐ər mənt /
See synonyms for: government / governmentally / governmental on Thesaurus.com

noun

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Origin of government

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Old French word governement.See govern, -ment

grammar notes for government

See collective noun.

pronunciation note for government

Normal phonological processes are reflected in a variety of pronunciations for government. Most commonly, the first [n] /n/ of [guhv-ern-muhnt] /ˈgʌv ərn mənt/ assimilates to the immediately following [m], /m/, with the resulting identical nasal sounds coalescing to give the pronunciation [guhv-er-muhnt]. /ˈgʌv ər mənt/. This pronunciation is considered standard and occurs throughout the U.S. For speakers in regions where postvocalic [r] /r/ is regularly lost, as along the Eastern Seaboard and in the South, the resulting pronunciation is [guhv-uh-muhnt] /ˈgʌv ə mənt/ or, with loss of the medial unstressed vowel, [guhv-muhnt]. /ˈgʌv mənt/. Further assimilation, in which the labiodental [v], /v/, in anticipation of the bilabial quality of the following [m], /m/, becomes the bilabial stop [b], /b/, leads in the South Midland and Southern U.S. to the pronunciation [guhb-muhnt]. /ˈgʌb mənt/. See isn't.

OTHER WORDS FROM government

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to government

power, ministry, union, authority, state, rule, politics, law, regime, control, regimentation, predominance, executive, supremacy, empire, guidance, governance, regulation, superiority, sovereignty

British Dictionary definitions for government

government
/ (ˈɡʌvənmənt, ˈɡʌvəmənt) /

noun

the exercise of political authority over the actions, affairs, etc, of a political unit, people, etc, as well as the performance of certain functions for this unit or body; the action of governing; political rule and administration
the system or form by which a community, etc, is ruledtyrannical government
  1. the executive policy-making body of a political unit, community, etc; ministry or administrationyesterday we got a new government
  2. (capital when of a specific country)the British Government
  1. the state and its administrationblame it on the government
  2. (as modifier)a government agency
regulation; direction
grammar the determination of the form of one word by another word

Derived forms of government

governmental (ˌɡʌvənˈmɛntəl, ˌɡʌvəˈmɛntəl), adjectivegovernmentally, adverb
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