Administratrix

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ədˌmɪnɪˈstɹeɪ(ˌ)tɹɪks/

Definitions

1. A woman responsible for managing the affairs of a deceased's estate, overseeing the execution of a will, and handling related legal and financial tasks
2. The female figure appointed to administer the distribution of assets from a decedent’s estate, ensuring compliance with legal obligations and managing related responsibilities
3. A female individual designated to oversee the management of an estate following a person's death, ensuring proper execution of will directives and fulfilling associated duties

Etymology: Administratrix is the feminine form of "administrator," built on Latin roots. Its ending, "-trix," is a Latin suffix that marks a female agent, as in "executrix" or "aviatrix." The suffix appears in English through New Latin, the scholarly Latin used by early modern writers, which is where the form "administratrix" was formed from the Latin "administrātrīx." The base word "administrator" comes from Latin "administrare," meaning to manage or to serve, built from "ad-" (toward) and "ministrare" (to attend to, serve). The idea of service sits underneath the modern sense: a person who attends to someone else's affairs. In English the term is mainly legal. It names a woman appointed by a court to manage a deceased person's estate when there is no will, or to carry out the terms of one. The masculine "administrator" has the same role, so the feminine form exists only to mark the sex of the office holder.

Synonyms: administrator, manager