As a young person, I often pondered the reason behind the usage of “gubernatorial” instead of “governatorial.” The answer lies in the Latin term “gubernator,” from which both words derive. Originally meaning “commander of a ship,” it was figuratively extended to other types of commanders, such as those of provinces. This evolved into Old French “gouvreneur,” with the ‘b’ changing to a ‘v’ due to phonetic shifts. This eventually became the English word “governor.” On the other hand, “gubernatorial” was directly borrowed from the Latin word, hence the difference in spelling. “Gubernator” can be traced back to the verb “gubernare,” meaning “to steer a vessel,” which has its roots in the Ancient Greek word “kybernan,” with an unknown origin.
