governour

English

Noun

governour (plural governours)

1. Obsolete spelling of governor.

Anagrams

• gouvernor

Middle English

Alternative forms

• governor, governoure, governowre, governur

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French gouvreneur, governeor, from Latin gubernātor; equivalent to governen +‎ -our.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡuvərˈnuːr/, /ˈɡuvərnur/, /ˈɡuvərnər/

Noun

governour (plural gouvernours)

1. An administrator or leader; one who heads and/or manages a group of people.
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[1], published c. 1410, Epheſianes 6:12, page 77r, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     foꝛwhi ftryuynge is not to us aȝenes fleiſch ⁊ blood .· but aȝenes þe pꝛincis ⁊ poteſtatis aȝenes gouernours of þe woꝛld of þeſe derkneſſis / aȝens ſpiritual þingis of wickidneſſe, in heuenli thingis

     Because for us, striving isn't [just] against flesh and blood, but against princes and potentates, the rulers of these darknesses' world, and the sources of spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

   1. A ruler; one who rules (either supreme or deputy).
   2. An executive or director; one who is in charge of an institution.
   3. A general; one who leads a military force on the battlefield.
   4. One who manages, leads, or supervises a household or mansion.
2. Someone who protects, safeguards, or acts as a guardian (used of God or people).
3. A helmsman; a person who guides or directs a seafaring vessel.
4. (rare) God as the judger of fate and decider of destiny.
5. (rare) One who restrains oneself from base urges.
6. (physiology, rare) A body part which controls other body parts.

Descendants

• English: governor (see there for further descendants)
• Scots: governour
• Yola: governere

References

• “governǒur, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-28.