govern
v.v. to officially control and lead a country, city, or group of people. It also means to set the rules for how something works or behaves.
v. to exercise authoritative control or influence over a political unit or a specific process. In a linguistic context, it refers to the way a word requires a specific case or form in another word.
The elected council will govern the city for four years.
Strict safety regulations govern how the factory handles chemical waste to protect the local environment.
In many languages, specific prepositions govern the case of the following noun, necessitating a change in the word's ending to reflect its grammatical role.
From Middle English governen, governe, from Anglo-Norman and Old French governer, guverner, from Latin gubernō, from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω (kubernáō, “to steer, drive, govern”).
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. In its political sense, it is often used in the passive voice.
The laws govern to the peopleThe laws govern the peopleGovern is a transitive verb and does not require a preposition before its object.