Misadminister

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To manage or administer something incorrectly or ineffectively
2. To apply a procedure or treatment in a faulty manner causing harm or failure
3. To execute an administration process inappropriately, leading to adverse consequences

Etymology: "Misadminister" is a straightforward compound: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "administer." That verb comes from Latin "administrare," built from "ad" (to) and "ministrare" (to serve), so its original sense was closer to serving or attending to someone than to running an organisation. Put "mis-" in front and the word means to carry out that service or management badly. The prefix does most of the work here. English has long attached "mis-" to verbs to signal failure or error, producing words such as "misjudge," "mistreat," and "mislead." "Misadminister" follows the same pattern, pairing the prefix with a verb whose Latin ancestry still shows in its sense of tending to or dispensing something, such as medicine or justice.

Synonyms: mismanage, misapply, misallocate, misdirect, misguide