text: wat is a government?   a government is the body that has the power to make and enforce laws within an organization or group. in its broadest sense, "to govern" means to administer or supervise, whether over an area of land, a set group of people, or a collection of assets. the word governement is derived the greek κυβερνήτης (kubernites), which means "steersman", "governor", "pilot" or "rudder".