the head of a state government
"After weeks of protests, the governor finally signed the bill to increase funding for public schools."
The chief executive officer of a first-level division of a country.
"The new governor arrived at the ceremony wearing a suit and carrying a folder of official documents."
The title for someone who holds the post of governor.
In plain English: A governor is an official who runs a state for the president.
"The new governor gave a speech to the crowd at the capital."
Usage: Use "governor" to refer to an elected official who leads a state or province, not to a machine part that controls speed. It functions as a standard job title in political contexts rather than a verb or technical component.
The word governor comes from the Ancient Greek term for "steersman" or "pilot," which traveled through Latin and Old French into Middle English before entering modern usage. While it is formed by combining the root govern with the suffix -or, its ultimate origin remains disputed, though it originally referred to someone who guides or directs a ship.