Other forms: administered, administers, administering
To administer is to manage affairs, or to give out medicine. Administer an estate, administer a drug, administer the fund.
The two senses have a common idea: something is being carried out on behalf of somebody else. In medicine it is the technical verb — a nurse administers a dose — and in law an administrator manages the estate of somebody who died without a will.
1verbadministerTo manage affairs, or to give out medicine.
“A committee of parents administers the school's small sports fund.”
administer is a managing, or a giving.
Latin administrare means to manage or serve — ad, to, plus ministrare, to serve, from minister, a servant.
Latin
administrare — to manage, execute
Old French
aminister
Middle English
administren
English, today
administer
Built from
From Middle English administren, from Old French aminister, from Latin administrare (“to manage, execute”), from ad (“to”) + ministrare (“to attend, serve”), from minister (“servant”); see minister.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA