Administer

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stə/

Definitions

1. To manage, organize, or give out something such as medicine, a test, or an official system
2. To oversee the execution of tasks or processes while providing or distributing items such as medications, assessments, or resources
3. To control and direct operations while also dispensing or assigning various elements including pharmaceuticals, evaluations, or procedures

Etymology: The verb "administer" carries a hint of its origin in its sense of serving: the Latin "administrare" combined "ad" ("to") with "ministrare," meaning "to attend, serve," so its roots lie in tending to someone's needs rather than in commanding. That link to service is still visible in "minister," the Latin "minister" meaning "servant," which gave us the same root. The word reached English through Middle English "administren," which was borrowed from Old French "aminister." Along the way the sense of serving or attending widened into managing and executing affairs, and that is how the word came to mean overseeing a process. The idea of handing out medicines or supplies comes from the same sense of giving help or provision to others, so the modern uses of dispensing a drug or distributing resources are a direct continuation of the original meaning of serving.

Synonyms: manage, conduct, oversee, supervise, direct

Antonyms: neglect, ignore, abandon