ETYM Latin arbiter; ar- (for ad) + the root of betere to go; hence properly, one who comes up to look on.
1. Someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue; SYN. arbitrator.
2. Someone with the power to settle matters at will; SYN. supreme authority.
3. Judge, especially one chosen by disputing parties. arbiter elegantiae, (Latin) “judge of taste”, especially G. Petronius, supervisor of Nero’s entertainments.
Friedensrichter, Inhaber eines öffentl. Ehrenamts, dem die gütl. Beilegung eines bürgerl. Rechtsstreits übertragen werden kann.