Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
ARBITER
arbiter, arbitrator, umpire
(noun) someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue; “the critic was considered to be an arbiter of modern literature”; “the arbitrator’s authority derived from the consent of the disputants”; “an umpire was appointed to settle the tax case”
arbiter, supreme authority
(noun) someone with the power to settle matters at will; “she was the final arbiter on all matters of fashion”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
arbiter (plural arbiters)
A person appointed, or chosen, by parties to determine a controversy between them; an arbitrator.
(with of) A person or object having the power of judging and determining, or ordaining, without control; one whose power of deciding and governing is not limited.
(electronics) A component in circuitry that allocates scarce resources.
Verb
arbiter (third-person singular simple present arbiters, present participle arbitering, simple past and past participle arbitered)
(transitive) To act as arbiter.
Anagrams
• rarebit
Source: Wiktionary
Ar"bi*ter, n. Etym: [L. arbiter; ar- (for ad) + the root of betere to go; hence properly, one who comes up to look on.]
1. A person appointed, or chosen, by parties to determine a controversy between them.
Note: In modern usage, arbitrator is the technical word.
2. Any person who has the power of judging and determining, or ordaining, without control; one whose power of deciding and governing is not limited. For Jove is arbiter of both to man. Cowper.
Syn.
– Arbitrator; umpire; director; referee; controller; ruler; governor.
Ar"bi*ter, v. t.
Definition: To act as arbiter between. [Obs.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
8 May 2025
INSULATION
(noun) the act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity
Coffee Trivia
