NASA Administrator is such a bland boring title. I wonder if that's intentional, to indicate the focus shouldn't be on management but rather on the engineers, scientists, and astronauts.
It's common in federal departments. Each department has an "Administrator" who then represents the entire department to those closer to the President, and represents the President to those farther away.
"President" was supposed to be the most boring title. It was chosen because the role was supposed to be simply that: To be present, while the rest of the federal government did its thing.
As the government evolved, the title gained more meaning. I sometimes wonder if the leaders of younger countries that use it understand its original meaning.
Maybe you meant centuries, and not millennia? English, even it's oldest forms, hasn't been around for millennia. Anyway, as your own etymology link demonstrates, the word's first use in its present meaning, as an executive leader of a republic--especially of something the size and importance of a nation state--is first in the US Constitution. Prior to that it generally meant leaders of more modest organizations: "heads of religious houses, hospitals, colleges and universities."
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NASA Administrator is such a bland boring title. I wonder if that's intentional, to indicate the focus shouldn't be on management but rather on the engineers, scientists, and astronauts.
It's common in federal departments. Each department has an "Administrator" who then represents the entire department to those closer to the President, and represents the President to those farther away.
"President" was supposed to be the most boring title. It was chosen because the role was supposed to be simply that: To be present, while the rest of the federal government did its thing.
As the government evolved, the title gained more meaning. I sometimes wonder if the leaders of younger countries that use it understand its original meaning.
President doesn't come from the word "present" [1], and has been used for millennia (2ish) more than you're implying.
[1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/president
Maybe you meant centuries, and not millennia? English, even it's oldest forms, hasn't been around for millennia. Anyway, as your own etymology link demonstrates, the word's first use in its present meaning, as an executive leader of a republic--especially of something the size and importance of a nation state--is first in the US Constitution. Prior to that it generally meant leaders of more modest organizations: "heads of religious houses, hospitals, colleges and universities."
I meant linguistic usage - it has had a very similar definition (head of something) for millennia.