umpire

1 of 2

noun

um·pire ˈəm-ˌpī(-ə)r

Synonyms of umpire next

: an official in a sport who rules on plays

: one having authority to decide finally a controversy or question between parties: such as

: one appointed to decide between arbitrators who have disagreed

: an impartial third party chosen to arbitrate disputes arising under the terms of a labor agreement

: a military officer who evaluates maneuvers

umpire

2 of 2

verb

umpired; umpiring

transitive verb

: to supervise or decide as umpire

intransitive verb

: to act as umpire

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History of Umpire

The word umpire was formed by metanalysis, or the changing of the division of words based upon how they sound together. The original word in English was noumpere, which was a borrowing of the French term nompere. The -pere of nompere was the French word for “equal,” a descendant of the Latin word par (“equal”) that is the root of words like peer, pair, and, of course, par. Noumpere became the form used in English for “one without equal” or “peerless,” but frequent references to a noumpere ended up becoming references to an oumpere, which became the modern word umpire. It’s ironic that the word for a person who literally calls balls and strikes is called by a name created by a linguistic foul.

Examples of umpire in a Sentence

Noun usually acts as umpire in the all-too-frequent squabbles between the two other roommates Verb in our family disputes regarding the use of our home entertainment system are umpired by Dad

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

So in 1929, the president of the National League required umpires to start soiling balls for better grip, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame. —

Evan Bush, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024 Robinson slid into the plate as Berra made the tag, but umpire Bill Summers called Robinson safe, Berra immediately turning around to give Summers an earful. —

Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024

Verb

Accompanying bench coach Ryan Christianson for the lineup card exchange at home plate, Melvin proceeded to give a piece of his mind to the umpiring crew led by crew chief Chris Conroy and was tossed, matching Weaver for the earliest ejection in MLB history. —

Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 July 2024 Future Games umpires The Minor League Baseball umpires who will work the All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, July 13th are Triple-A Umpire Felix Neon; Double-A Umpire Matt Blackborow of the Eastern League; Triple-A Umpire Casey James; and Double-A Umpire Sean Sparling of the Texas League. —

David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for umpire

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English oumpere, alteration (from misdivision of a noumpere) of noumpere, from Anglo-French nounpier, nompere, from nounpier, adjective, single, odd, from non- + per equal, from Latin par

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1609, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of umpire was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Umpire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/umpire. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

umpire

noun

um·pire

ˈəm-ˌpī(ə)r

: one having authority to decide an argument or a question

: an official in a sport (as baseball) who rules on plays

umpire verb

Etymology

Noun

Middle English oumpere, an altered form of noumpere "one having authority to decide an issue or dispute," from early French nounpier, nompere (adjective) "single, odd, without equal," from non-, nom- "not" and per "equal," from Latin par "equal" — related to compare, pair, par, peer

Word Origin

From the Latin word par, meaning "equal," came the early French word per, which also meant "equal." Per was combined with the prefix non-, nom-, meaning "not," to form the early French word nomper, which meant "without equal." Nomper came into Middle English as a noun, noumpere. The meaning of noumpere was "a person who is not equal, a person who has authority over others." Many people who heard the words a noumpere thought they were actually hearing an oumpere. Because of that misunderstanding, the letter n in time came to be dropped from noumpere. Other changes over the course of many years have given us the modern word umpire.

Legal Definition

umpire

noun

um·pire

: a person having authority to decide finally a controversy or question between parties: as

: one appointed to decide between disagreeing arbitrators

: an impartial third party chosen to arbitrate disputes arising under the terms of a labor agreement

: one appointed to mediate between the appraisers of an insured and insurer in order to determine the amount of a loss

Last Updated: 29 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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umpire

noun

verb

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Synonyms

Examples of umpire in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near umpire

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Legal Definition