entry
arbitrary
/ˈɑːrbɪˌtrɛri/based on personal whim, not fixed rules
From Latin arbiter (judge).
from Latin arbitrarius "of arbitration, done by means of arbitration, not regulated by fixed law," hence "depending on...
Word Ancestry
from Latin arbitrarius "of arbitration, done by means of arbitration, not regulated by fixed law," hence "depending on...
A Roman arbiter was not just a bookish judge in a wig; he was the person who showed up, looked things over, and made a call. Latin turned that courtroom vibe into arbitrarius, a legal word for decisions made by judgment rather than by fixed law. English borrowed it around 1400, and for a while it could sound almost neutral or even official—more like 'discretionary' than 'random.' But once people started talking about arbitrary power, the word took on a harsher edge, as if the judge had wandered off the bench and started making up the rules on the spot. It shares a family with arbitrate and arbitration, so the old meaning of 'settling a dispute' still hums underneath the modern sense of whim. Think of it as a courtroom word that escaped into everyday life carrying a gavel in one hand and a shrug in the other.
The Story
A Roman arbiter was not just a bookish judge in a wig; he was the person who showed up, looked things over, and made a call. Latin turned that courtroom vibe into arbitrarius, a legal word for decisions made by judgment rather than by fixed law. English borrowed it around 1400, and for a while it could sound almost neutral or even official—more like 'discretionary' than 'random.' But once people started talking about arbitrary power, the word took on a harsher edge, as if the judge had wandered off the bench and started making up the rules on the spot. It shares a family with arbitrate and arbitration, so the old meaning of 'settling a dispute' still hums underneath the modern sense of whim. Think of it as a courtroom word that escaped into everyday life carrying a gavel in one hand and a shrug in the other.
Kin & Kindred
From 'arbiter'·judge, umpire, one who decides
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary