Arbiter

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɑː.bɪ.tə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. An individual who officially decides or judges disagreements between parties
2. A person appointed to resolve conflicts by making judgments impartially
3. One who acts as a neutral judge to determine the outcome of a dispute

Etymology: The Latin "arbiter" meant a witness, someone who had gone to see a thing for themselves. The sense of a judge came later, as a witness who was trusted to settle what had happened. Its root points to movement: the word seems built from "ad," meaning "to," and the verb behind "baetere," to go, so an arbiter was literally one who goes to see. The word reached English through Middle English "arbiter," "arbytour," and "arbitre," having passed through Old French "arbitre." Over the centuries, English speakers kept the sense of a neutral party whose judgment is final in a dispute, and it still carries that meaning today.

Synonyms: judge, mediator, referee

Antonyms: partisan, bystander