What is the predominant style-guide recommendation on whether or not
to use 'administrate' as a verb in documentation (as opposed to the
more obvious 'administer')

Hi! Thanks for a very interesting question.

Experts are in agreement that the words administer and administrate
are synonymous with each other and can be used interchangeably. But
traditionally there is a problem with the word ?Administrate? since
there is a notion that it is an incorrect form of the verb
administration.

?The word administrate is an incorrect form of the verb created by
some who drop the -ion suffix of administration.?

Englishplus.com
http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000172.htm 


However, the Bartleby website has a pretty good explanation for this
and says that there is nothing wrong with using ?administrate? in
place of administer. It says that they are not only synonymous but are
both standards as well. Furthermore, the verbs ?administer? and
?administrate? are both transitive and intransitive.

Please read the following page from the Bartleby website to get an
accurate and historical viewpoint on the usage of such verbs.

Bartleby.com
http://www.bartleby.com/68/57/157.html 


Our next link provides a refresher on the rules of transitive and
intransitive verbs.

?Transitive and Intransitive Verbs?
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/trnsintr.html 


Search terms used:
Grammar proper usage words administer or administrate

I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
                 
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Easterangel-ga                 
Google Answers Researcher

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Request for Answer Clarification by polardog-ga on 22 Feb 2005 05:45 PST

Thanks for the quick reply. I was actually looking for at least two
style guide (like Chicago)  recommendations. I'd also like some deeper
references on history than the Columbia style guide (at Bartleby),
like an actual academic paper.
I've seen references that the Microsoft Style Guide may also prefer one over 
the other, but I've not found it

Would it be possible to expand on the answer as above?

Cheers,
Mark

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Clarification of Answer by easterangel-ga on 22 Feb 2005 15:17 PST

Hi polardog-ga! 

It seems that the only popular style guide resource covering this
issue is the Columbia style guide. Style guides like the Chicago
Manual of Style are more concerned with proper citation of references
in research work.

Furthermore, since they are deemed synonymous by standard English
dictionaries then they can be used interchangeably.

I apologize in not finding any more resources since there is very
limited ones out there.

I hope this would be of help!

Thanks.

The correct word is "administer".
"Administrate" looks like some bastardised back-formation from
"administration".  There is already a perfectly cromulent* word, so
why invent another?

Pretty soon, we'll all be conversating at this rate!

*cromulent - as heard on the Simpsons.

That's certainly my view, but easterangel-ga turned up that the
Columbia Style Guide treats them as equally acceptable and that the
'administrate' form was first used in the 17th century and was from
the past participle of the latin root.

I still think 'administrate' is crap though.

administrator and administration are clearly preferred to adminsterer
and administeration, but 'adminstrated/adminstrate' are mongo bogus..

-Mark