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governor
governor automatic device used to regulate and control such variables as speed or pressure in the functioning of an engine or other machine. A governor may be an electric, hydraulic, or mechanical device, or it may employ some combination of electric, hydraulic, and mechanical components. The constant-speed governor serves to keep the speed of an engine constant under changes in load and other disturbances. It is very often a mechanical device, employing centrifugal force. Such a governor contains weights, called flyballs, each attached to the end of an arm. The arms are arranged, like the spokes of wheels, around a central spindle and are connected to the inlet valve (commonly called the governor valve). The flyballs are so attached that they move away from the spindle as the speed increases (decreasing the fuel or steam to the inlet) and come closer to the spindle as the speed decreases (increasing the fuel or steam), thereby keeping the speed constant. Varying degrees of closure and the speeds at which they are to occur can be set in advance. Where changes are required while an engine is in operation, a variable-speed governor is employed. A governor-synchronizing device is used to equalize the speed of two or more engines driving electric generators before they engage the generators. In order to control the speed of some engines, a governor's output must be strengthened by connecting the output to a hydraulic amplifier. |
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"governor." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "governor." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-governr-dv.html "governor." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-governr-dv.html |
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governor
governor chief executive of a dependent or component unit in a political system. In the United States, a governor is the chief executive of each state and is elected by the people of the state. In the British, French, and Dutch empires a governor was traditionally appointed to rule over each of the colonies. Governors in the United States originally lacked much power. They were often subordinate to the state legislatures and had little control over administrative agencies. However, political reforms in the early 20th cent. shifted power from the legislative to the executive branches of state governments, and today governors are among the most powerful political figures in the United States. At the National Governors Conference, developed from a meeting called (1908) by President Theodore Roosevelt, the nation's governors meet annually to discuss common political and governmental problems. |
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Cite this article
"governor." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "governor." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-governr.html "governor." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-governr.html |
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governor
gov·er·nor / ˈgəvə(r)nər/ • n. 1. the elected executive head of a state of the U.S. ∎ an official appointed to govern a town or region. ∎ the representative of the British Crown in a colony or in a Commonwealth state that regards the monarch as head of state. 2. Brit. the head of a public institution: the governor of the Bank of England. ∎ a member of a governing body. 3. Brit., inf. the person in authority; one's employer. 4. a device automatically regulating the supply of fuel, steam, or water to a machine, ensuring uniform motion or limiting speed. DERIVATIVES: gov·er·nor·ship / -ˌship/ n. |
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Cite this article
"governor." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "governor." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-governor.html "governor." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-governor.html |
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lieutenant governor
lieu·ten·ant gov·er·nor • n. the executive officer of a state who is next in rank to a governor and who takes the governor's place in case of disability or death. ∎ the executive officer of a Canadian province, appointed by the governor general. DERIVATIVES: lieu·ten·ant gov·er·nor·ship n. |
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"lieutenant governor." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lieutenant governor." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lieutenantgovernor.html "lieutenant governor." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lieutenantgovernor.html |
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governor
governor
•Catriona • ironer • questioner
•gardener, hardener, pardoner
•deadener • widener • Londoner
•stiffener • toughener • wagoner
•tobogganer • provisioner • sojourner
•jacana • darkener • reckoner
•weakener
•sickener, thickener
•falconer • Eleanor
•almoner, Brahmana
•commoner • summoner • dampener
•sharpener • tympana • opener
•coroner • fastener • chastener
•christener, listener
•loosener • fashioner • confectioner
•pensioner, tensioner
•probationer, stationer, vacationer
•commissioner, conditioner, exhibitioner, missioner, munitioner, parishioner, partitioner, petitioner, positioner, practitioner, requisitioner
•extortioner • executioner • flattener
•Smetana, threatener
•westerner • easterner
•enlightener, frightener, whitener
•lengthener, strengthener
•marathoner • northerner
•southerner • Taverner • scrivener
•enlivener • governor • Ramayana
•reasoner • poisoner
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Cite this article
"governor." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "governor." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-governor.html "governor." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-governor.html |
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