noun

umpire

umpire, referee

The umpire made a controversial call.

The umpire made a controversial call.

She is training to be a tennis umpire.

She is training to be a tennis umpire.

((an)) umpire an official in certain sports The umpire made a controversial call.

Synonyms: referee, judge, arbiter

From Old French 'nonper' meaning 'not equal, odd man', chosen to decide a dispute. The 'n' was lost from 'a noumpere' being misheard as 'an oumpere'.

It sounds a bit like 'empire'. Imagine the umpire ruling over the 'empire' of the baseball field.

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