Umpire
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 8:03 am
Well, fancy that! Another word that has lost its N to the indefinite article. And what an interesting etymology. This from a website called Quick and Dirty Tips. www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/gra ... e-an-apron?
A Noumpere Becomes an Umpire
Another less common example is “umpire.” It came to English from an Old French word “nonper,” which means “not peer” or “peerless,” essentially an arbiter of higher status than the participants. Later, it was “a noumpere” which was commonly mistaken to be “an oumpere,” which led to “umpire.” People first used it in a legal sense, and it picked up its sports meaning later.
A Noumpere Becomes an Umpire
Another less common example is “umpire.” It came to English from an Old French word “nonper,” which means “not peer” or “peerless,” essentially an arbiter of higher status than the participants. Later, it was “a noumpere” which was commonly mistaken to be “an oumpere,” which led to “umpire.” People first used it in a legal sense, and it picked up its sports meaning later.