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ar·bi·ter

(ärbĭ-tər)

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

2. One whose opinion or judgment is considered authoritative or worthy of respect: an arbiter of fashion.

[Middle English arbitre, from Old French, from Latin arbiter, of Phoenician origin; see ʿrb in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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