Administrative

How to spell administrative

14 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce administrative

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does administrative mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the management, organisation, or paperwork of running an institution or business.

Administrative in a sentence

• Most of her morning was spent on routine administrative tasks like filing and scheduling.

• The new hire will provide administrative support to the entire sales team.

Where does administrative come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb administrare, meaning 'to manage', 'to serve' or 'to direct', which was built from the prefix ad- 'to, towards' and ministrare 'to serve'. That second part comes from minister, a Latin word for a servant or attendant, itself rooted in minus, meaning 'less', so a minister was originally one of lesser rank who served a superior. From administrare Latin formed administrativus, describing anything to do with management or governance. English took the adjective in through the same family as 'administer' and 'administration', and it became settled by the 1700s. The spelling trap lives in the unstressed middle: the 'minis' and the schwa-coloured 'tra' are easy to slur, but remembering the buried word 'minister' anchors the order of letters.

How the word is built

• ad- (to)
• minister (to serve, manage)
• -ative (adjective-forming suffix)