A woman employed to teach and care for children in a private household.
Governess comes from 'govern' plus the feminine suffix '-ess,' but 'govern' originally meant 'to steer a ship' from Greek 'kybernan' (which also gives us 'cybernetics'). The metaphor of steering or piloting was applied to ruling a state, then to managing a household, and finally to guiding children's education. A governess was literally seen as the 'pilot' of a child's moral and intellectual development, navigating them through the dangers of youth.
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