Gubernate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To govern or conduct the affairs of a state or organization; to exercise authority or control over a political entity; to lead or direct public administration
2. To hold the position of leadership in managing the functions of a government or institution; to administer and rule a community or country; to oversee regulatory or executive responsibilities
3. To act as the chief executive or ruler of a governmental body; to be in charge of policy making and enforcement within an organization; to steer or manage civic or political operations

Etymology: "Gubernate" is a rare, learned verb meaning to govern or rule, and its history runs straight back to a Latin word for steering a ship. The Latin "gubernare" came from the Greek "kybernan," which meant to steer or pilot a vessel, and the Greek word is also the ancestor of "cybernetics," a modern coinage. Latin speakers extended the nautical sense to governing a state, so the image of a helmsman at the tiller became the image of a ruler at the helm. English took the word directly from Latin, and it has stayed a learned term rather than a common one. Its everyday relatives, "government" and "governor," came into English through Old French from the same Latin root, so they are doublets of a sort: the same ancestor reached English twice by different routes. "Gubernate" itself is the more direct borrowing, which is why it feels more formal and bookish than its cousins.

Synonyms: govern, administer

Antonyms: misgovern