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Why "administrator" instead of "administer"? (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.ca
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Ministrations are performed by a minister, but administration is performed by an... administrator? How did we get here?

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[–] 8 points 2 months ago*

The common joke is that English is actually a dozen different languages hiding within a single trenchcoat. Just because some words and groups of words look similar and are spelled almost the same doesn't mean they follow the same linguistic rules because they might've come from a completely different language using a completely different linguistic system or a completely different time period. It's really almost impossible to tell how to work with a particular English word without knowing its backstory, even when there are "rules", most of the rules have plenty of exceptions because of this.

Trying to draw clear, consistent, universal patterns out of the English language is a fool's errand. If you wanted to achieve that, you'd need another language. (and then English would probably steal a bunch of its words too)

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    [–] 8 points 2 months ago (6 children)

    Ad- is a prefix that means to or towards.

    Ministers ministrate and administers administrate.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    What's the difference?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    The definition.

    An administer is an administer, whereas a minister is a minister.

    And while ministers can administrate, and administrators can ministrate, by default, they would do the one that fits them better.

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    • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    Guess out of my butt would be different root words. One would be Latin based the other Germanic(?)

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    goes to look on etymonline

    It looks like both forms of "minister" have a Latin root:

    https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=minister

    minister(n.)

    c. 1300, "man consecrated to service in the Christian Church, an ecclesiastic;" also "an agent acting for a superior, one who acts upon the authority of another," from Old French menistre "servant, valet, member of a household staff, administrator, musician, minstrel" (12c.) and directly from Latin minister (genitive ministri) "inferior, servant, priest's assistant" (in Medieval Latin, "priest"), from minus, minor "less," hence "subordinate" (from PIE root *mei- (2) "small") + comparative suffix *-teros. Formed on the model of magister (see master (n.)).

    minister(v.)

    early 14c., ministren, "to perform religious rites, provide religious services;" mid-14c., "to serve (food or drink);" late 14c. "render service, aid, or medicine; furnish means of relief or remedy" from Old French menistrer "to serve, be of service, administer, attend, wait on," and directly from Latin ministrare "to serve, attend, wait upon," from minister "inferior, servant, priest's assistant" (see minister (n.)). Related: Ministered; ministering.

    And for "administrator":

    https://www.etymonline.com/word/administrator

    administrator(n.)

    "one who has been given authority to manage," mid-15c., administratour, from Old French administrateur or directly from Latin administrator "a manager, conductor," agent noun from past-participle stem of administrare "to manage, control, superintend" (see administer). The estate sense is earliest. For ending, see -er.

    And "administer":

    administer(v.)

    late 14c., aministren, later administren, "to manage as a steward, control or regulate on behalf of others," from Old French aministrer "help, aid, be of service to" (12c., Modern French administrer), and directly from Latin administrare "to help, assist; manage, control, guide, superintend; rule, direct," from ad "to" (see ad-) + ministrare "to serve, attend, wait upon," from minister "inferior, servant, priest's assistant" (see minister (n.)).

    So while it was an interesting thought, it looks like all four words, "minister" (noun), "minister" (verb), "administrator" (noun), and "administrate" (verb) have Latin roots.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    If I'm reading your research right, it seems that "administrator" comes to English from the French, while the rest come directly from the Latin. I want to think that's where the difference comes from.

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    • [–] 3 points 2 months ago

    Am I dense or are most of the comments missing the point of the question?

    Both minister and administrator are nouns. The question (great question really, I too suspect the english-is-three-languages-in-a-trenchcoat reason) is why the two nouns don't follow the same pattern when their verb forms match exactly (ministrate, administrate)

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    [–] 4 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    Administer is a verb. Administrator is a noun.

    An administrator administers.

    Administrate literally means the same as administers.

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    • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    Why not ministrator instead of minister?

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