Where does “umpire” come from?
Umpire comes from Middle English noumpere, from Old French nonper, a compound of Old French non and Latin nomen meaning "name," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁nómn̥ and h₃neh₃-.
umpire (English): The official who presides over a tennis game sat...
Definitions
- The official who presides over a tennis game sat...
Ancestry of “umpire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | noumper | An arbitrator; an umpire |
| 2 | Old French | nonper | odd number, not even |
| 3 | Old French | per | by; equal |
| 4 | Latin | pār | even (of a number) |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | perH- | to fly; fore, first; exchange |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |