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Nation vs Government - What's the difference?

nation | government |

As nouns the difference between nation and government

is that nation is (label) nation while government is the body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.

nation

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) ).

Noun

(en noun)
  • An historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.
  • A sovereign state.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=David Simpson
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=36, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Fantasy of navigation , passage=It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: 
  • (chiefly, historical) An association of students based on their birthplace or ethnicity. (jump)
  • (obsolete) A great number; a great deal.
    • a nation of herbs
    (Sterne)
    Usage notes
    * (British) Following the establishment of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, England, Scotland and Wales are normally considered distinct nations. Application of the term nation to the United Kingdom as a whole is deprecated in most style guides, including the BBC, most newspapers and in UK Government publications. Northern Ireland, being of less clear legal status, generally remains a province.
    Synonyms
    * thede * (an association of students) student nation
    Derived terms
    * First Nations * Ford Nation * national * nationality * nation building * nation-state * student nation * United Nations
    Related terms
    * antenatal * innate * nascent * natal * native * nativity * nativism * nativization * nature * natural * naturism * naturalism * prenatal
    See also
    * country * culture * homeland * ethnicity * people * race * society * state * thede

    Etymology 2

    Probably short for (m).

    Noun

  • (rare) Damnation.

    • Adverb

  • (rare, dialectal) Extremely; very
  • * Mark Twain:
    • I'm nation sorry for you.

    References

    * "Notable and Quotable," Merriam Webster Online Newsletter (November, 2005) [http://www.word.com/unabridged/archives/2005/11/notable_and_quo_4.html] (as accessed on December 23, 2005).

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * (l), (l) 1000 English basic words ----

    government

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (nonstandard) , (l), (l)

    Noun

  • The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= The rise of smart beta , passage=Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government -bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}
  • The relationship between a word and its dependents
  • A group of people who hold a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in a given territory.
  • The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=76, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Snakes and ladders , passage=Risk is everywhere. From tabloid headlines insisting that coffee causes cancer (yesterday, of course, it cured it) to stern government warnings about alcohol and driving, the world is teeming with goblins.}}
  • (lb) The management or control of a system.
  • :
  • The tenure of a chief of state.

    • Derived terms

    * big government * branch of government * close enough for government work * federal government * government agent * government bond * government-censored * government cheese * government debt * government house * government issue * government man * government note * government purchases * government security * government stroke * government wharf * governmental * governmentese * governmentwide * head of government * in government * local government * military government * minority government * municipal government * non-government * parliamentary government * petticoat government * puppet government * representative government * seat of government * self-government * shadow government * unitary government

    Related terms

    * govern * governance * governor

    Usage notes

    In the United States, "government" is considered to be divided into three branches; the legislature (the House of Representatives and the Senate) which makes law, the Administration (under the President) which runs sections of government within the law, and the Courts, which adjudicate on matters of the law. This is a much wider meaning of "government" than exists in other countries where the term "government" means the ruling political force of the prime minister and his/her cabinet ministers (what Americans would call the Administration). In Britain, the administrative organs of the nation are collectively referred to as "the state". In Canada government'' is used in both senses and neither ''state'' nor ''administration are used. Applied to many countries in continental Europe (when using English), the British usage is common.

    See also

    *

    Statistics

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