govern vs permit

govern

verb
  • To control the actions or behavior of; to keep under control; to restrain. 

  • To require that a certain preposition, grammatical case, etc. be used with a word; sometimes used synonymously with collocate. 

  • To exercise a deciding or determining influence on. 

  • To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in. 

  • To control the speed, flow etc. of; to regulate. 

  • To have or exercise a determining influence. 

  • To exercise political authority; to run a government. 

noun
  • The act of governing 

permit

verb
  • To allow (someone) to do something; to give permission to. 

  • To allow (something) to happen, to give permission for. 

  • To allow for, to make something possible. 

  • To allow, to admit (of). 

  • To grant formal authorization for (something). 

  • To attempt to obtain or succeed in obtaining formal authorization for (something). 

noun
  • A pompano of the species Trachinotus falcatus. 

  • An artifact or document rendering something allowed or legal. 

  • A learner's permit. 

How often have the words govern and permit occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )