umpire

English

Etymology

From a Middle English rebracketing of a noumpere as an oumpere, from Old French nonper (“odd number, not even (as a tie-breaking arbitrator)”), from non (“not”) + per (“equal”), from Latin par (“equal”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈʌm.paɪ.ə(ɹ)/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

Noun

umpire (plural umpires)

1. (tennis, badminton) The official who presides over a tennis game sat on a high chair.
2. (cricket) One of the two white-coated officials who preside over a cricket match.
3. (baseball) One of usually 4 officials who preside over a baseball game.

   The umpire called the pitch a strike.

4. (American football) The official who stands behind the line on the defensive side.

   The umpire must keep on his toes as the play often occurs around him.

5. (Australian rules football) A match official on the ground deciding and enforcing the rules during play. As of 2007 the Australian Football League uses three; in the past there were two or just one. The other officials, the goal umpires and boundary umpires, are usually referred to by those phrases.
6. (law) A person who arbitrates between contending parties.
   • a. 1701, John Dryden, “To His Sacred Majesty. A Panegyric on his Coronation.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume I, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, OCLC 863244003, page 34:

     You for their umpire and their ſynod take, / And their appeal alone to Cæſar make.

7. (curling) The official who presides over a curling game.

Coordinate terms

• referee

Related terms

• nonpareil

Usage notes

• In general, and as a usage guideline, a referee moves around with the game, while an umpire stays (approximately) in one place.

Translations

an official who oversees a game or match

• Bulgarian: съдия (bg) m (sǎdija)
• Catalan: àrbitre (ca) m
• Danish: dommer (da) c
• Dutch: scheidsrechter (nl) m
• Esperanto: arbitraciisto, ludjuĝisto
• Finnish: erotuomari (fi)
• French: arbitre (fr) m
• German: Schiedsrichter (de) m, Schiri (de) m (colloquial), Unparteiischer (de) m
• Greek: διαιτητής (el) m (diaititís)

  Ancient: βραβευτής m (brabeutḗs)

• Italian: superarbitro m
• Maori: amapaea

• Marathi: पंच ? (pañca)
• Mewari: पंच ? (pañc)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: dommer (no) m

  Nynorsk: dommar m

• Persian: داور‎ (fa) (dâvar)
• Plautdietsch: Spellvemedla m
• Portuguese: árbitro (pt) m
• Romanian: arbitru (ro) m
• Spanish: árbitro (es) m
• Swedish: domare (sv) c
• Turkish: hakem (tr)

a person who arbitrates between contending parties

• Armenian: մրցավար (hy) (mrcʿavar)
• Bulgarian: посредник (bg) m (posrednik), арбитър (bg) m (arbitǎr)
• Catalan: àrbitre (ca) m
• Finnish: sovittelija (fi), välimies (fi)
• French: arbitre (fr) m or f
• Galician: árbitro (gl) m
• German: Schlichter (de) m, Schiedsrichter (de) m, Obmann (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: διαιτητής m (diaitētḗs)

• Italian: arbitro (it) m
• Maori: amapaea
• Portuguese: árbitro (pt) m
• Romanian: arbitru (ro) m
• Spanish: árbitro (es) m
• Turkish: başkan (tr), hakem (tr)

Verb

umpire (third-person singular simple present umpires, present participle umpiring, simple past and past participle umpired)

1. (sports, intransitive) To act as an umpire in a game.

   Coordinate term: referee

2. (transitive) To decide as an umpire.

   Synonyms: arbitrate, settle

   • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), 6th edition, London: […] J[ames] Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, […], published 1727, OCLC 21766567:

     Judges appointed to umpire the matter in contest between them, and to decide where the right lies.

Translations

to act as an umpire in a game

• Arabic: حكم‎ (ar)
• Bulgarian: свиря (bg) (svirja)
• Finnish: erotuomaroida, tuomaroida (fi)
• French: arbitrer (fr)
• German: schiedsrichtern (de)
• Italian: arbitro (it)
• Japanese: (for all sports) 審判 (ja) (shinpan), 審判員 (shinpan'in) (occasionally, for baseball) アンパイヤ (anpaiya)
• Macedonian: су́ди (súdi)

• Maori: amapaea
• Portuguese: arbitrar (pt)
• Romanian: arbitra (ro)
• Russian: суди́ть (ru) n (sudítʹ)
• Spanish: arbitrar (es)
• Turkish: hakemlik yapmak

arbitrate — see arbitrate

See also

• Category:English rebracketings.

Further reading

• referee on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• umpire (cricket) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• umpire (baseball) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• impure, rumpie

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Spanish

Noun

umpire m (plural umpires)

1. umpire