umpire

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an official who enforces the rules and settles disputes in a game

   The umpire signaled that the runner was out at home plate.

Simplified etymology

Umpire entered English in the Middle English period as noumpere, from the same source as French nonpareil and ultimately related to Latin par, “equal.” The name reflected the umpire’s position above all the players. Noumpere was later reinterpreted in the phrase “a noumpere” as “an umpire,” and its initial n was lost.

From Middle English noumpere (mistakenly divided as 'an oumpere'), from Old French nonper ('not equal, odd, a third party'), from non- ('not') + per ('equal', from Latin par). The 'n' was lost by false splitting of 'a noumpere' into 'an oumpere'.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary