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arbiter

 - 4 dictionary results

ar⋅bi⋅ter

  [ahr-bi-ter]
Use arbiter in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person empowered to decide matters at issue; judge; umpire.
2. a person who has the sole or absolute power of judging or determining.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME arbitour, arbitre < AF, OF < L arbiter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To arbiter
ar·bi·ter   (är'bĭ-tər)   
n.  

  1. One chosen or appointed to judge or decide a disputed issue; an arbitrator.

  2. One who has the power to judge or ordain at will: an arbiter of fashion. See Synonyms at judge.


[Middle English arbitre, from Old French, from Latin arbiter, of Phoenician origin; see ʕrb in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

arbiter 
1502, from L. arbiter "one who goes somewhere (as witness or judge)," from ad- "to" + baetere "to come, go." The spec. sense of "one chosen by two disputing parties to decide the matter" is from 1549. Arbitration in this sense is from 1634 (see also arbitrate). The earliest form of the word attested in Eng. is the fem. noun arbitress (1340) "a woman who settles disputes."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ar·bi·ter
Pronunciation: 'är-b&-t&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, onlooker, arbitrator
: ARBITRATOR
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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