ombudsman

English

/ˈɒmbədzmən/, /ˈɑmbədzmən/, /ɔmˈbʊdzmən/

noun
Definitions
  • An appointed official whose duty is to investigate complaints, generally on behalf of individuals such as consumers or taxpayers, against institutions such as companies and government departments.
  • A designated internal mediator in an organization whose duty is to assist members with conflict resolution and other problems and to serve as an independent consultant to recommend changes to policies or procedures to improve organization effectiveness, efficiency, and humaneness.

Etymology

Borrowed from Swedish ombudsman derived from Old Norse umboðsmaðr (steward, a representative, ombudsman, an attorney, commissary, an ombudsman).

Origin

Old Norse

umboðsmaðr

Gloss

steward, a representative, ombudsman, an attorney, commissary, an ombudsman

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

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Cognates and derived terms