# arbitration

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌɑː.bɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ · frequency rank #10,809

## Definitions
1. The act or process of arbitrating.
2. A process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute.
3. In general, a form of justice where both parties designate a person whose ruling they will accept formally. More specifically in Market Anarchist (market anarchy) theory, arbitration designates the process by which two agencies pre-negotiate a set of common rules in anticipation of cases where a customer from each agency is involved in a dispute.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Latin arbiter
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Italic *-āō
Latin -ō
Latin arbitror
Latin arbitratio
Old French arbitrationbor.
Middle English arbitracion
English arbitration
From Middle English arbitracion, borrowed from Old French arbitration, from Latin arbitratio, from arbitrari (“to arbitrate, judge”); see arbitrate.

## Easily confused with
- **arbitrator** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arbitration-vs-arbitrator)

## Common misspellings (17)
`abritration`, `arbbitration`, `arbirtation`, `arbitartion`, `arbitraiton`, `arbitrasion`, `arbitratino`, `arbitrationn`, `arbitratoin`, `arbitrattion`, `arbitrration`, `arbitrtaion`, `arbittration`, `arbtiration`, `aribtration`, `arrbitration`, `rabitration`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/arbitration