arbiter
Uncertain, but probably cognate to Umbrian ařputrati (“according to the judgement”, abl.sg.), corresponding to Latin arbitrātū. Possibly from ad- + baetō, with sporadic d > r as in arvorsum, arfuise, thus originally meaning "one that goes to something in order to see or hear it". However, that verb has no certain etymology, and the Umbrian pu remains unexplained. De Vaan suggests a derivation from putō to explain the Umbrian pu, however that is still morphologically difficult since the latter is based on an adjective. The voiced b would have to be exceptional or explained by some peculiarity of the řp sequence in Umbrian.
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈar.bi.ter/, [ˈärbɪt̪ɛr]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈar.bi.ter/, [ˈärbit̪er]
Noun
arbiter m (genitive arbitrī, feminine arbitra); second declension
- witness, spectator, onlooker [ synonym ▲]
- Synonym: testis
- (law) arbitrator, arbiter (having a wider power than a iūdex)
- (transferred sense) judge, umpire, arbitrator, arbiter [ synonyms ▲][ quotations ▼]
- Synonyms: iūdex, disceptātor, spectātor
- overseer, controller, ruler [ synonyms ▲]
Declension
Second-declension noun (nominative singular in -er).
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | arbiter | arbitrī |
| Genitive | arbitrī | arbitrōrum |
| Dative | arbitrō | arbitrīs |
| Accusative | arbitrum | arbitrōs |
| Ablative | arbitrō | arbitrīs |
| Vocative | arbiter | arbitrī |