The difference between Controller and Overseer

Controller as a noun:

One who controls something.

Controller as a noun (electronics):

Any electric or mechanical device for controlling a circuit or system.

Controller as a noun (business):

A person who audits, and manages the financial affairs of a company or government; a comptroller.

Controller as a noun (computing):

A mechanism that controls or regulates the operation of a machine, especially a peripheral device in a computer.

Controller as a noun (nautical):

An iron block, usually bolted to a ship's deck, for controlling the running out of a chain cable. The links of the cable tend to drop into hollows in the block, and thus hold fast until disengaged.

Controller as a noun (espionage):

The person who supervises and handles communication with an agent in the field.

Controller as a noun (linguistics):

The subject of a control verb. See

Controller as a noun (software architecture):

In software applications using the model-view-controller design pattern, the part or parts of the application that treat input and output, forming an interface between models and views.

Overseer as a noun (historical):

One who oversees or supervises. The manager of a plantation of slaves. An officer responsible for the care of the poor, making out lists of voters and those who had not paid taxes, etc.

Overseer as a noun (obsolete):

A critic.