Definition of ARBITER

Are arbiter and arbitration arbitrary?

A large portion of the words we use today come from Latin roots. Many of these words retain a meaning that is closely related to their Latin ancestor, although sometimes they will drift a considerable distance from their roots (sinister, for instance, had the meaning of “on the left side” in Latin, but also meant “unlucky, inauspicious”). In some instances, a single Latin word will give rise to multiple words in English, some of which have strayed in meaning, and others which have not.

An example of this may be found in our word arbiter. We trace it to the Latin root with the same spelling, arbiter, meaning “eyewitness, onlooker, person appointed to settle a dispute.” A number of English words stem from the Latin arbiter, many of which have to do with judging or being a judge. An arbiter is a judge, and arbitration is the act of judging, or serving as an arbiter. Yet the most common meaning of arbitrary is “existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will,” which seems to be quite a bit different in meaning from the other two words. Arbitrary does indeed come from the same Latin root, and its oldest meaning in English was “depending on choice or discretion particularly regarding the decision of a judge or a tribunal.” But over time it developed additional senses that are somewhat removed from that initial meaning.

Examples of arbiter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The article concedes that the designation is subjective, but then, ever the arbiter, shows a slideshow of different neighborhoods chosen by interviewees. — Collier Meyerson, WIRED, "The Last Black Man Searches for ‘Authenticity’ but There Is None," 6 June 2019 Former editor of Teen Vogue, this fashion and culture arbiter discusses her book — part memoir, part manifesto — on finding your way in world and workplace. — John Timpane, https://www.inquirer.com, "Readings by authors in Philly this summer: Jennifer Weiner, Richard Russo, and more," 5 June 2019 Patricia Altschul, legendary grand dame and the breakout star of Bravo's Southern Charm, is the arbiter of all things chic. — Luzanne Otte, Town & Country, "Patricia Altschul's Very Specific Guide to Traveling in Style," 18 May 2019 Despite how innovative and prolific black style arbiters are, the fashion industry often fails to recognize our contributions. — Jessica Andrews, Teen Vogue, "Black Women on the September Covers Give Me Hope, But There’s Still More Work to Do," 20 Aug. 2018 Venezuela’s military has served as the traditional arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela and under both the late Hugo Chavez and Maduro has vastly expanded its reach within Venezuela. — Fabiola Sanchez, The Seattle Times, "AP Explains: Venezuela opposition’s fight to win over troops," 20 Feb. 2019 The trend’s emergence in Copenhagen, however, might have something to do with one of the city’s most revered arbiters of style, Social Zoo cofounder and creative director Pernille Teisbaek. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Why Were Havaianas the It Shoes at Copenhagen Fashion Week?," 15 Aug. 2018 What results are corporate monopolies rather than competitive markets, where the government becomes a bigger arbiter of who wins and who loses. — Dambisa Moyo, Time, "The False Promises of Protectionism," 22 May 2018 Passport stamps, receipts and more information were provided to the arbiters. — Chris Chavez, SI.com, "Olympian Gil Roberts' 'Passionate Kissing' Defense Works To Avoid Drug Suspension," 25 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arbiter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for 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

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