(ŏmˈbŭdzˌmən, -bədz-, -bo͝odzˌ-)
noun- A man who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements, especially between aggrieved parties such as consumers or students and an institution or organization.
- A government official, especially in Scandinavian countries, who investigates citizens' complaints against the government or its functionaries.
Related Forms:
Word History: The word
ombudsman has one familiar element,
man, but it is difficult to think of what
ombuds could mean.
Ombudsman is from Swedish, a Germanic language in the same family as English, and
man in Swedish corresponds to our word
man. Ombud means “commissioner, agent,” coming from Old Norse
umbodh, “charge, commission, administration by a delegacy,”
umbodh being made up of
um, “regarding,” and
bodh, “command.” In Old Norse an
umbodhsmadhr was a “trusty manager, commissary.” In Swedish an
ombudsman was a deputy who looked after the interests and legal affairs of a group such as a trade union or business. In 1809 the office of
riksdagens justitieombudsman was created to act as an agent of justice, that is, to see after the interests of justice in affairs between the government and its citizens. This office of ombudsman and the word
ombudsman have been adopted elsewhere, as in individual states in the United States. The term has also been expanded in sense to include people who perform the same function for business corporations or newspapers.
