Revised 2011 More entries for "administer"
administerverb
Factsheet
What does the verb administer mean?
There are 15 meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb administer. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
administer has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
How common is the verb administer?
About 30occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 17 |
| 1760 | 21 |
| 1770 | 27 |
| 1780 | 28 |
| 1790 | 31 |
| 1800 | 28 |
| 1810 | 30 |
| 1820 | 30 |
| 1830 | 35 |
| 1840 | 37 |
| 1850 | 34 |
| 1860 | 32 |
| 1870 | 30 |
| 1880 | 29 |
| 1890 | 26 |
| 1900 | 26 |
| 1910 | 26 |
| 1920 | 25 |
| 1930 | 26 |
| 1940 | 29 |
| 1950 | 31 |
| 1960 | 32 |
| 1970 | 33 |
| 1980 | 32 |
| 1990 | 27 |
| 2000 | 25 |
| 2010 | 25 |
How is the verb administer pronounced?
British English
/ədˈmɪnᵻstə/
uhd-MIN-uh-stuh
U.S. English
/ədˈmɪnᵻstər/
uhd-MIN-uh-stuhr
Where does the verb administer come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the verb administer is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for administer is from 1395.
administer is a borrowing from French.
Etymons: French aministrer, administrer.
Nearby entries
- admin, adj.1913–
- adminicle, n.1551–
- adminicular, adj.1660–
- adminiculary, n. & adj.1652–1836
- adminiculate, v.?1532–
- adminiculation, n.1531–
- adminiculum, n.1826–
- adminish, v.a1325–1680
- adminishing, n.?c1400–1575
- administer, n.a1443–
- administer, v.1395–
- administered, adj.?1574–
- administerer, n.1464–
- administerial, adj.1771–
- administering, n.1468–
- administering, adj.1610–
- administrable, adj.1653–
- administrador, n.1803–
- administrant, adj. & n.1602–
- administrate, v.1538–
- administrating, n.1617–
Etymology
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Meaning & use
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Pronunciation
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Forms
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Frequency
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Compounds & derived words
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Entry history for administer, v.
administer, v. was revised in December 2011.
administer, v. was last modified in December 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into administer, v. in December 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1884)
OED Second Edition (1989)
Cite
Chicago
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
Copied to clipboard
MLA9
“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .
Copied to clipboard
Contribute
Citation details
Factsheet for administer, v.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- admin, adj.1913–
- adminicle, n.1551–
- adminicular, adj.1660–
- adminiculary, n. & adj.1652–1836
- adminiculate, v.?1532–
- adminiculation, n.1531–
- adminiculum, n.1826–
- adminish, v.a1325–1680
- adminishing, n.?c1400–1575
- administer, n.a1443–
- administer, v.1395–
- administered, adj.?1574–
- administerer, n.1464–
- administerial, adj.1771–
- administering, n.1468–
- administering, adj.1610–
- administrable, adj.1653–
- administrador, n.1803–
- administrant, adj. & n.1602–
- administrate, v.1538–
- administrating, n.1617–
