Daysmen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mediator or arbitrator serving to resolve disputes between parties involved in a disagreement
2. An individual designated to act on behalf of others in a conflict situation
3. A representative who is entrusted with the authority to settle issues and ensure fair outcomes

Etymology: The word is plural in form, so its base is "daysman," which the source builds from "day," an interpretive "-s-," and "man." Here the "day" is the Old English "dæg," meaning a day, and "man" is the ordinary word for a person. A daysman was, in effect, a man of a particular day: someone appointed to meet two disputing parties on a set day and settle their quarrel. The "-s-" is the element that puzzles readers, and it has no clear meaning of its own. It appears to be an added linking sound, the kind that sometimes slips into compounds, so the word is best read as "day" plus "man" with that connecting consonant between them. The compound came to mean an arbitrator, someone who judged between disputants, and the plural "daysmen" simply refers to more than one such person.

Synonyms: mediators, arbitrators, intercessors, negotiators, umpires