Administrate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ədˈmɪnɪstɹeɪt/

Definitions

1. To manage or direct the operations and activities of an organization or system
2. To be responsible for handling and overseeing the functioning of something
3. To take charge of and organize the administration or execution of duties

Etymology: The verb "administrate" is a back-formation: English speakers first had the noun "administration," and the verb was later carved out of it by dropping the noun ending. "Administration" came from Latin "administrātiō," and the Latin verb behind it, "administrō," meant to manage, direct or serve, built from "ad-" (to) and "ministrō" (to serve). The root sense is service: a minister was originally a servant, and an administrator was someone who attended to affairs on another's behalf. Older English had "administrate" in the sense of a past participle borrowed directly from Latin "administrātus," so the verb form was already present before the modern back-formation became standard. The exact sequence is disputed, and etymologists disagree about whether the verb came first in English or grew from the noun, so the precise pathway remains uncertain. Many people treat "administrate" as an unnecessary variant of "administer," and usage guides have long objected to it, yet the verb has stayed in use, especially in American English, where it often refers to running a programme or organisation rather than dispensing something.

Synonyms: manage, execute, supervise, control, direct

Antonyms: neglect, abandon, ignore, overlook, mismanage