Arbitrary

Ah, my absolute favorite word. I love to use it, mostly because I almost always decide things on arbitrary lines. Also, arbitrary is heavily used in science, so I am frequented by this word a lot.

The AHD defines the word as "determined by chance, whim, or impulse . . . based on or subject to individual judgment or preference . . . [or] not limited by law; despotic." The AHD says that it comes from the Middle English word arbitrarie. This was borrowed straight from Latin's arbitrarius (hey, no random French alterations!). Latin derived this from arbiter, which (in today's time) indicates a person who has the authority to judge something. This word was derived from Middle English's arbitre. Interestingly, this word passed through Old French before heading to Middle English, but it didn't change it dramatically from the Latin form of arbiter. This word ultimately came from the Phoenician word 'arb. It is not completely known to come from the Phonecians, but 'arb does mean "surety, guarantee." When one thinks on how this word is applied today, this is quite a comical stretch. To arbitrarily define something means that it is not guaranteed. In reality, it was just randomly, at will, defined by the person who put it forth. Interesting, no?