administrator English · revision 10270

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1514|origins=la administrator}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stɹeɪ.tə/ ''(UK)''; /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stɹeɪ.tɚ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is late Middle English administratour, from Old French administrateur or directly [[bor|la|administrātor|t=a manager, conductor]],^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) an agent noun from administrātus, past participle of administrāre, to manage, control (see [[administer]]).^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Etymonline dates the word to the mid-15th century and says the estate sense is the earliest;^(Etymonline) the OED's first quotation, for a person appointed to manage and dispose of the estate of someone who died without a will, is from 1514.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A manager of business or public affairs is from 1533 in the OED,^(OED 1989) one who performs the duties of religion or justice from 1563,^(OED 1989) and one who manages estates for the owner from 1599.^(OED 1989) A person with a talent for managing or organizing is from 1855,^(OED 1989) and in law an agent appointed by a court to run a company in difficulty from 1982.^(OED 1989) A person who manages a computer system is a recent sense.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * mid-15th century – administratour.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1514 – an administrator of an estate.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1533 – a manager of affairs.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1855 – an able organizer.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1982 – a court-appointed administrator.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person who manages the affairs of a business, organization or public body; an [[executive]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(law)'' A person appointed to manage an [[estate]], especially of someone who has died without a will.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A person who manages a computer system.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[administratorship]]

+ * [[subadministrator]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[administer]]

+ * [[administration]]

+ * [[administrative]]

+ * [[minister]]

+ * [[executor]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}