umpire

Where does the word "umpire" come from? It comes from Latin non par, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

Umpire’s story begins in Latin: non par meant “not equal.” Latin 'non', not, plus 'par', equal: a third person who is no one's equal. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as nonper. A third party called in to settle disputes. It reached English by 1400s as umpire. 'a noumpere' was misheard as 'an oumpere', dropping the n. Today, umpire means an official who enforces the rules of a game.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient non par "not equal", Latin 'non', not, plus 'par', equal: a third person who is no one's equal.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval nonper "odd man out", a third party called in to settle disputes.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s umpire "arbitrator", 'a noumpere' was misheard as 'an oumpere', dropping the n.