governer

English

Etymology

From Middle English governer, governere, guvernere, from Old French gouvreneur; equivalent to govern +‎ -er.

Noun

governer (plural governers)

1. Obsolete form of governor.
   • [1529], [John Frith], A Pistle to the Christen Reader: The Revelation of Antichrist. Antithesis / Wherin Are Compared To Geder Christes Actes and Oure Holye Father the Popes., [Antwerp]: [Johannes Hoochstraten]:

     And oute of theſe caves and dennes are they called to be governers and curattes of chirches / when they ſeme to chouſe the beſt.

   • 1553, Eras[mus] Sarcerius, translated by Rychard Tauerner, Commõ Places of Scripture Ordrely and after a Compendious Forme of Teaching, Set Forth with No Litle Laboure, […], London: […] Nycolas Hyll for Robert Toye, […], folio xc, verso:

     Fynallye the holye ghoſte maye alſo be ſayde a cauſe of thys lybertye, foꝛaſmuche as he is the gouerner and pꝛeſeruer therof.

   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “[The Second Booke] Chapter 2”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia, London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC, folio 104, verso:

     O wretched mankind (ſaid I then to my ſelfe) in whom witte (which ſhould be the gouerner of his welfare) becomes the traitor to his bleſſednes.

   • 1589, Zacharias Vrsinus, translated by Henry Parry, The Summe of Christian Religion: Delivered by Zacharias Vrsinus in His Lectures vpon the Catechisme, Authorised by the Noble Prince Fredericke throughout His Dominions: […], Oxford, Oxon: […] Ioseph Barnes, […], page 748:

     And whẽ alſo he ſaieth, Of many, hereby is cõfirmed, that by the name of the church, wherof Chriſt ſpeaketh Mat. 18. is not vnderſtoode the cõmon multitude, but the chief governers of the church.

Old French

Alternative forms

• guverner

Etymology

From Latin gubernāre, present active infinitive of gubernō, from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω (kubernáō).

Verb

governer

1. to guide; to steer
2. to govern

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-rns, *-rnt are modified to rz, rt. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of governer (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		governer			avoir governé
gerund		en governant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		governant
past participle		governé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	govern	governes	governe	governons	governez	governent
	imperfect	governoie, governeie, governoe, governeve	governoies, governeies, governoes, governeves	governoit, governeit, governot, governeve	governiiens, governiens	governiiez, governiez	governoient, governeient, governoent, governevent
	preterite	governai	governas	governa	governames	governastes	governerent
	future	governerai	governeras	governera	governerons	governeroiz, governereiz, governerez	governeront
	conditional	governeroie, governereie	governeroies, governereies	governeroit, governereit	governeriiens, governeriens	governeriiez, governeriez	governeroient, governereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	govern	goverz	govert	governons	governez	governent
	imperfect	governasse	governasses	governast	governissons, governissiens	governissoiz, governissez, governissiez	governassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	governe	—	governons	governez	—

Descendants

• Middle French: gouverner
  • French: gouverner
    • → Romanian: guverna
• Norman: gouvèrner
• → Middle English: governen, governe, guverne, gouvern
  • English: govern
  • Scots: govern