arbiter

What it means

1. A person appointed, or chosen, by parties to determine a controversy between them; an arbitrator.

   In order to protect individual liberty there must be an arbiter between the governing powers and the governed.

   1931, William Bennett Munro, The government of the United States, national, state, and local, page 495

2. with ofA person or object having the power of judging, determining, or ordaining; one whose power of deciding and governing is not limited.

   Television and film, not Vogue and similar magazines, are the arbiters of fashion.

   2 more examples

   The grapholect of Standard English is not the exclusive system that arbiters of cultural purity wish to 'correct' us into believing

   1993, Gajendra K. Verma, Inequality and teacher education: an international perspective, page 188

   The dreadnought is the ultimate arbiter of space warfare; millions of tons of metal, ceramic, and polymer dedicated to the projection of firepower against an enemy vessel of like ability. No sane commander would face a dreadnought with anything less than another dreadnought.

   2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Starships: Dreadnought Codex entry

3. businessA component in circuitry that allocates scarce resources.

In a sentence

In order to protect individual liberty there must be an arbiter between the governing powers and the governed.

1931, William Bennett Munro, The government of the United States, national, state, and local, page 495

Where it comes from

1. Latinarbiter“a witness, judge, literally one who goes to see”
2. Old Frencharbitre
3. Middle Englisharbiter
4. Englisharbiter

From Middle English arbiter, arbytour, arbitre, from Old French arbitre, from Latin arbiter (“a witness, judge, literally one who goes to see”).