Managed, ran, or gave out something officially; provided or supplied something like medicine or aid.
From Latin 'administrare': 'ad-' (to) plus 'ministrare' (to serve or manage). The word entered English through Old French in the 1200s and has always carried the sense of official management or serving.
This word has a bureaucratic dignity to it—notice how 'administered' a medicine sounds more official than 'gave' a medicine. Governments, hospitals, and institutions use this word to make their actions sound orderly and legitimate, which reveals how language carries power.
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