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The Peerless Umpire

Eugene Volokh • October 28, 2009 7:33 pm

“Umpire,” the Oxford English Dictionary, stems from the word “noumpere,” which means “peerless, without equal, surpassing all others.” I did not know that.

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    7 Comments

    1. AP says:

      According to http://www.etymonline.com:

      c.1400, noumper, from O.Fr. nonper “odd number, not even,” in reference to a third person to arbitrate between two, from non “not” + per “equal,” from L. par. Initial –n– lost by c.1440 due to faulty separation of a noumpere, heard as an oumpere. Originally legal, the gaming sense first recorded 1714 (in wrestling). Short form ump is attested from 1915. The verb is first recorded 1609, from the noun.

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      October 28, 2009, 8:07 pm

    2. ChrisTS says:

      “peerless, without equal, surpassing all others.”

      Let’s just keep this to ourselves, ok?

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      October 28, 2009, 8:11 pm

    3. Northern Dave says:

      AP: According to http://www.etymonline.com:c.1400, noumper, from O.Fr. nonper “odd number, not even,” .... 

      Ergo sum no Umpire can be a Zero :-)

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      October 28, 2009, 9:31 pm

    4. Can't find a good name says:

      Etymologically, then, when an umpire goes to the movies, his favorite candy ought to be Sno-Caps, because “nonpareil” and “umpire” derive from the same Latin roots meaning “having no equal.”

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      October 29, 2009, 12:03 pm

    5. Laura(southernxyl) says:

      Close English word: “unparalleled”.

      “That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said.

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      October 29, 2009, 7:49 pm

    6. Jeff Hall says:

      So if “umpire” is a contraction of “noumpire” which is a debasement of “noumpere” which means “peerless, without equal, surpassing all others”, does that mean that umpires are common, pedestrian, and easily surpassed? Sounds good to me.

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      October 30, 2009, 3:46 pm

    7. Frank Lockerz says:

      Hi. I don’t read many blogs, but yours is of thelittle I follow.Have a awesome day!

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      February 14, 2010, 12:28 pm

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