English
administer
Administer comes from Latin administrare ‘to manage, execute’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadministrare‘to manage, execute’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400aminister
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500administren‘to manage or control, to administer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1595administer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadministrare‘to manage, execute’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400aminister
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500administren‘to manage or control, to administer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1595administer
Earliest quotation: 1595, The Life and Death of King Richard the Second: “Swear […] to keep the oath that we administer.”
A compound of ad ‘to’ + ministrare ‘to attend, serve’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd ‘near, at’
Proto-Italic *ad ‘toward, to, on, up to, for’
Latin ad ‘to’
Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
Proto-Indo-European *minéwti ‘to lessen’
Proto-Italic *minuō ‘to lessen, make smaller’
Proto-Italic *minōs ‘less’
Proto-Italic *minosteros ‘lesser, smaller’
Latin minister ‘attendant’
Latin ministrō ‘to attend, serve’
Every English word from Latin administrare
Today it means
verb To apportion out, distribute.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin administrare / administer