governor

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
governor/ˈɡʌvənə(r)/

▶noun

• 1 an official appointed to govern a town or region.

  ■ the elected executive head of a US state.

  ■ the representative of the British Crown in a colony or in a Commonwealth state that regards the monarch as head of state.

• 2 the head of a public institution.

  ■ a member of a governing body.

• 3 Brit. informal the person in authority.

• 4 a device automatically regulating the supply of fuel, steam, or water to a machine.

– derivatives
governorate noun,
governorship noun.

– origin ME: from OFr. governeour, from L. gubernator, from gubernare (see govern).