gov·ern·ment /'gə-vər-mənt, -vərn-/ n
1: the act or process of governing; specif: authoritative direction or control
2: the office, authority, or function of governing
3: the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit: rule
4 a: the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usu. classified according to the distribution of power within it
b: the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out
5: the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: as
a: the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency
b cap: the executive branch of the U.S. federal government
c: the prosecution in a criminal case in its capacity as agents of the political unit
the government failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
gov·ern·men·tal adj
gov·ern·men·tal·ly adv
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.