Definition of arbiter
1 : a person with power to decide a dispute : judge The mayor will act as the final arbiter in any dispute between board members.
2 : a person or agency whose judgment or opinion is considered authoritative arbiters of taste
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Origin and Etymology of arbiter
Middle English arbitour, arbitre, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin arbiter “eyewitness, onlooker, person appointed to settle a dispute,” perhaps, if going back to *ad-biteros, from ad- ad- + *-biteros, derivative from a base *-bit- akin to bītere, baetere, bētere “to go,” of obscure origin
First Known Use: 14th century
Other Legal Terms
Law Dictionary
Origin and Etymology of arbiter
Latin, onlooker, arbitrator
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