section_path: Definitions and etymology
section_name: Definitions and etymology
paragraph_text: Definitions and etymology
  
  A government is the system to govern a state or community. The Columbia Encyclopedia defines government as "a system of social control under which the right to make laws, and the right to enforce them, is vested in a particular group in society". While all types of organizations have governance, the word government is often used more specifically to refer to the approximately 200 independent national governments on Earth, as well as their subsidiary organizations, such as state and provincial governments as well as local governments.
  
  The word government derives from the Greek verb κυβερνάω meaning to steer with a gubernaculum (rudder), the metaphorical sense being attested in the literature of classical antiquity, including Plato 's Ship of State. In British English, "government" sometimes refers to what's also known as a " ministry " or an " administration ", i.e., the policies and government officials of a particular executive or governing coalition. Finally, government is also sometimes used in English as a synonym for rule or governance.
  
  In other languages, cognates may have a narrower scope, such as the government of Portugal, which is actually more similar to the concept of "administration".