[kənˈtrəʊl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the power to influence or direct people's behaviour or the course of events
(e.g: the whole operation is under the control of a production manager)

- a person or thing used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment
(e.g: platelet activity was higher in patients with the disease than in the controls)

- a member of an intelligence organization who personally directs the activities of a spy
(e.g: he sat with his KGB control as the details of his new assignment were explained)

- a high card that will prevent the opponents from establishing a particular suit
(e.g: he has controls in both minor suits)


Phrases:
- in control
- out of control
- under control

Origin:
late Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘check or verify accounts’, especially by referring to a duplicate register): from Anglo-Norman French contreroller ‘keep a copy of a roll of accounts’, from medieval Latin contrarotulare, from contrarotulus ‘copy of a roll’, from contra- ‘against’ + rotulus ‘a roll’. The noun is perhaps via French contrôle

[kənˈtrəʊl], (Verb)

Definitions:
- determine the behaviour or supervise the running of
(e.g: he was appointed to control the company's marketing strategy)

- take into account (an extraneous factor that might affect the results of an experiment)
(e.g: no attempt was made to control for variations)


Phrases:
- in control
- out of control
- under control

Origin:
late Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘check or verify accounts’, especially by referring to a duplicate register): from Anglo-Norman French contreroller ‘keep a copy of a roll of accounts’, from medieval Latin contrarotulare, from contrarotulus ‘copy of a roll’, from contra- ‘against’ + rotulus ‘a roll’. The noun is perhaps via French contrôle